The Glade
by Unique Fantasy
Summary: A secret community is hidden within the magical world that Harry Potter finds himself suddenly pushed into. But this community could use his help it seems. And while he helps them, he finds himself finding a few answers of his own. Can Harry help the magical world accept the new future or do secrets need to stay secret? I don't own Harry Potter
1. Chapter 1

Once upon a time, there was a very beautiful and kind princess. She was loved by everyone in her small kingdom. Especially the local silversmith and his neighbor the wizard. But the princess's heart was torn, she could not bring herself to chose between the two possible suitors, so she decided to give them a challenge. The suitors were given one week before presenting the princess with a gift that embodied their feelings for her. The two agreed happily to the challenge.

The silversmith worked night and day, preparing his gift for the princess knowing in his heart that she would love it. His neighbor, the wizard, knew that he could impress the princess with his pretty magics, and proceeded to fill his days trying to gain the princesses favor. The princess was very pleased with the attention she was receiving from the sly wizard.

At the end of the challenge, both suitors were called before princess to present their gifts to her. The silversmith went first, presenting the princess with a small silver statue. It fit perfectly in her small hands, so delicate that she feared just a breath would cause it to shatter. It was a beautiful wolf, standing proudly, with eyes of pure amber. It took her breath away, as did the words it was presented with.

"The wolf is a proud, and loyal being. Beautiful beyond words, just like yourself fair princess."

The princess thanked the silversmith for his gift, and turned toward the wizard. He made grand flourishes with his wand, and with sparks and lights, granted the princess the ability to transform into a real wolf.

" Now you can become the animal that left you so breathless." The wizard exclaimed.

The princess truly loved both of her gifts, yet as she looked at the two suitors before her, she knew who was the right choice.

" Both gifts are truly wonderful, and I treasure both. However the efforts behind them are vastly different. My dear wizard, you have thrilled me these past days with your attention and your magic, all the while your opponent has been locked away in his workshop. Magic comes very easy for you, and while it is amazing, I do not feel anything of you from it. My dear silversmith, I see your poor hands bruised and bandaged, your eyes weary from work. I know you have put your heart into your gift with thought and hard work. These are the traits I require from my future companion."

The wizard was enraged at his loss, for he believed only himself worthy, and demanded the princess reconsider. When she refused, he turned his wand at her once more, this time in fury. Summoning dark magic, he turned his gift into a curse. Instead of being able to transform at will into wolf, he forced the transformation on her, cursing her to be more animal than human on every full moon. And to keep her from her chosen gift, he made it so the touch of silver would bring only pain, causing the skin to blister and burn.

The princess screamed as the wizard vanished . She dropped the silver statue from her hands, for it did indeed burn her hands. It shattered as it hit the ground, as did her heart. The Silversmith promised his princess that he would find the wizard and make him take back the curse; that he would return to her, if she would but wait for him. And so she did, locking herself away in the castle, awaiting the day her chosen returned.

The mother leaned forward, placing a kiss on her young daughters forehead. She pulled up the covers, tucking her in tight.

"Good night, little pup." She whispered.

Aisha jolted awake. She hadn't had that dream in quite some time. It was one of the fairytales her mother would tell her when she was little. Though it was no mere fairy tale, and there was no real happy ending. The real story goes, that after years of searching, the silversmith never found the wizard. He came back to the small kingdom, empty handed. It had been 7 long years for him, 7 years in hell for the princess. She, having locked herself away, was slowly going mad and fighting herself over the monster she felt herself becoming. She had grown sad and scared. But her heart grew happy and hopeful upon hearing of her chosen's return.

But it was for naught, for her love rejected her. He no longer wished to stay by her side after seeing what had happened to her. His once lively and beautiful young princess was no more, only a tired and broken woman remained. The princess, filled with heartbreak and anger, let the monster take over, and rampaged through her own kingdom. She killed and destroyed, infecting many with her curse. The silversmith gathered as many able-bodied as he could and went to hunt the monster that was once the princess, using silver as their weapons. They killed her, and set her body on fire. This was the legend of the werewolves and werewolf hunters. 

The few that became infected and survived carried the curse for future generations becoming Werewolves, and the silversmith and his followers taught their children how to hunt, becoming the Hunters. Like the ones that killed Aisha's parents.

Aisha grimaced and climbed out of bed. _Horrible story to tell a child_ She might as well start her day early now that she was awake. She glanced at her clock on the bedside table, seeing just how early it was. She grimaced again, _yeah, early start_. As she crossed her room, her fireplace cracked into green colored life, making her jump.

"What have I said about using my personal floo! The one in my office is working just fine." She barked at the head sitting in the dancing flames. Her informant from London's St. Mungo's hospital simply gave her an impatience look.

"Its not the time for any sane person to be in an office if there is no money being made from it. But believe you me, the information I have is worth it."

Aisha Floo'ed over to the informants office 15 minutes later. She took the mug the other witch offered her and set down in the chair opposite her desk.

"Now explain everything" She asked.

" Full moon was approximately 48 hours ago as you know. About 42 hours ago, there was an emergency case brought in, a magical creature attack. Some really nasty bites and severe lacerations that were concluded as claw marks. The patient was classified as a high level security Auror. Only myself and one other healer were given the case file and details. The attack happened during a pursuit with the Auror in question. I have just confirmed that it was indeed a werewolf attack and that there was a transfer of the curse. Starting next month, the patient will experience full effects of lycanthropy."

"Well he wasn't attacked by one of mine."

The medi witch shook her head and handed Aisha the patient's file. Aisha opened it, and then immediately snapped it closed to start rubbing her temples.

"Oh Bloody bones! How have you managed to keep the press for finding out about this? "

"Its the high security from the ministry. He is listed under a false name, under some false condition, in an almost unused only ones besides the healers that even know he is here are his partner and his supervisor. However he does have liberty to tell any family and friends he wishes, although that has yet to happen." The medi witch took the file back from Aisha.

" With the whole medical staff under the whole slew of oaths, the only way information is going to get out is through friends and family." She wiggled the file in Aisha's face. " We both know that no friends of his are going to go blabbing to the sodding press."

Aisha acknowledged the statement with a cocked brow.

"And is he finally 100 percent awake and aware of his condition?"

" I called you as soon as he was, it hurts that you would doubt me." The healer smiled

Aisha finished her tea and stood, fixing her business robes.

"I know how the the routine goes, in and out in less the 15, making sure the other healers aren't around." She patted the other witch on the shoulder. "You're too good to me."

Aisha made her way to the wing where room 238 waited. The plaque on the door said that a Mr. Rodley with a case of the magical measles lay inside. Aisha smirked. _Measles, that's laughable_ She opened the door and walked in, her heels clicking across the floor. She came to a stop at the end of the hospital bed. The room already having silencing charms, she didn't have to worry about listening ears and promptly started her introduction.

"Sorry about such an early call. Now, there is no need to be all uppity, we both are aware of the amount of security keeping you safe from the crazies. I'm simply here because of your new… monthly condition."

"My name is Aisha Winter, and I am also of the lycanthrope origins. Meaning, that no, you are no longer the only werewolf in the room." She tried to carefully gauge the reactions on the face of the man lying in the hospital bed in front of her.

"I represent a small, secret community composed of others like us, both from magical and muggle backgrounds, and their families. We can offer support, as well as handle any issues regarding keeping you out of the papers. We can even go so far as providing you with housing needs and employment for you and your family. We call this community the Gade. We are here to keep our kind safe from prosecution and out of the eyes of those who wish to do us harm."

Aisha took a card from the pocket of her robe, and walked it around the bed to hand it to him.

"I don't usually do this… but, this is my card. It has connections to the floo in my London office. If you wish to know more about my offer, send me an owl and we can set up an appointment. If you don't wish to accept the offer, I request that you keep everything you heard here a secret for the safety of everyone I do represent."

Aisha walked back towards the door, turning back.

"I look forward to hearing from you Mr. Potter." And Aisha left, the door clicking shut behind her.


	2. Chapter 2

_{There were some canon character deaths that I am ignoring. Yes, its selfishly for the sake of this story but I never liked them dying in the first place. So don't be surprised when you see their names.}_

Aisha didn't have to wait very long before hearing from the famous wizard. Only two days later she was told that he was discharged secretly from the hospital, and that night she received his owl. They set up an appointment and Aisha was hoping it would end with a tour of the actual compound itself. The Glade was mostly pieced together from victims of the second wizarding war and their families. After the end of the war, there were many victims of werewolf attacks. And if she could help nearly 2 dozen people hide their condition, how hard would one super famous, savior of the wizarding world, be?

Aisha sighed, and slouched down in her chair. She rested her forehead on her desk. _At least Mr. Amazing is considering taking my help._ She rolled her head and glanced up at her clock. Sitting up, she smoothed out her shirt, Mr. Potter was going to be arriving any moment now. Her fireplace flashed green, signaling his arrival. _Speak of the devil_ He unfolded himself from the fireplace, and dusted himself off. He was no longer covered in bandages, only light pink scars on his neck left any sign that there was an attack. Aisha gestured to the chair in front of her desk.

"Good morning, I'm glad to see you're healing up fairly well."

Potter took the chair and gave her a crooked smile. Aisha pushed her long ponytail over her shoulder, mentally preparing herself with her usual welcoming speech and ignoring the flush that his silly grin seemed to cause.

"The Glade is where people like me try and and show victims of were attacks that they are not monsters. This is extremely important to the non-magical families effected, the ones without background knowledge of this world. Everyone has questions after an event like this, even those with a multitude of background knowledge. We are here to help answer them." She looked across from her at the silent wizard.

"What questions do you have?"

Potter ran a hand through his shaggy hair and set his elbows on his knees.

" I understand only the basics about werewolves, I do have the pleasure of knowing some good ones. I never gave it much thought because I honestly never thought I would have to." He looked at her with confusion in his eyes. " What do I do now?"

Aisha gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile.

"Let me help. Let the Glade help you." She stood and walked around the desk until she was standing in front of him. He stood as well, looking down at her.

"Would you like to be a part of this, would you accept the help we offer?" She asked, holding out her hand for him. He looked into her eyes, and nodded. He took her hand, she smiled and apparated them to her office in the Glade.

"The whole community has many different wards to keep it hidden. Can you imagine if the public found out about a large pack of werewolves living in the country." Aisha explained as they walked down the stairs from her office toward the main building's common room. She stopped walking and watched him .

"I wish I could understand what you are going through. Its so much easier to answer your questions if I fully understood them."

He stopped as well and looked at her, confusion once more all over his face.

"I thought you said you were also a werewolf."

" Oh, I am," She clarified, "but I was born with lycanthropy, I was never bitten like yourself."

She started walking again, Potter falling into step beside her.

" Which is why I thought that a person with more similar circumstances to your own could help and perhaps give you a tour of the community as well."

They had finally arrived in the common room, and Aisha directed Potter's attention to the people waiting for them on one of the overstuffed couches. When he saw those familiar faces, his own lit up brightly, causing a an embarrassing giggle to escape Aisha. He rushed over towards Remus Lupin, Tonks, and a squirming Teddy, enveloping them in tight hugs. Aisha felt her heart warm, watching them get comfortable once again. Sending Tonks a little finger wave, she motioned that she was going back upstairs. She gave herself a pat on the back, not only did she lessen her work load, but she also made this so much easier for Harry. _Now I only have a small mountain of work waiting for me instead._ She grumbled as she marched herself back into her office.

It was a few hours later, long past lunch time, when Aisha shook the cramp out of her hand. She felt lucky that the quill wasn't now permanently attached to her. Her stomach gave her a large growl, Aisha looking down, shooting it a glare. _I can't leave now, if I leave I will never make it back up here._ There was another gurgle. She growled back setting her chin on the edge of the desk. _I don't have to leave the office_ She glanced at her wand sitting on the desk. She huffed, pulled herself to her feet and started to make her way to the buildings community kitchen. Quick bite to quiet her stomach and then frogmarch herself right back to her office.

She was sneaking a large sandwich and a mug of tea back upstairs when she was stopped.

"There is our fearless leader now!" Remus exclaimed, they were just sitting down at one of the tables. Teddy sitting in Tonks' lap, Harry pulled out out a chair for her while Remus pulled one out for Aisha, inviting her to sit down with them.

"Yet it seems like I am more of a school marm or nanny, then the leader of a pack of werewolves." Remus laughed.

"Just trying to explain the Glade political system to Harry here." He turned his attention back to Harry. He continued to explain the political ladder, 1 Alpha, 4 Beta, 8 Deltas, and a vague description of their responsibilities. Aisha watched, eating her sandwich as he explained. Harry looked at her in shock after Remus explained that she was not only the Alpha of a pack of now 34 weres' and their families, but the creator of the Glade community. She happened to be taking a large bite of her sandwich when he looked at her. His green eyes seemed shocked, impressed, and entirely too aware, and it caused her full cheeks to warm.

"You said representative. Like a regular office worker." Harry pointed out. Aisha swallowed.

"I didn't want to be intimidating." She quickly took another bite.

" No intimidation," He shrugged "I like strong women." Aisha nearly choked. Harry and Remus went back to talking, Tonk's shoulders shook with silent laughter, and she sent Aisha a wink across the table. She cleared her throat and excused herself from the table, praying to get out of there before she actually blushed. She made plans that Remus and Tonks send Harry home when finished and then brief her on their tour so she could go back to more paperwork. _More paperwork or possible embarrassment in front of the pack...pick your poison pup._


	3. Chapter 3

It had been decided that Harry would keep his own residence, but he picked a small empty flat on compound as well. A few others did, it made it easier on them during the phase days. Although a large number of the community lived on the Glade compound. He was given keys and ward access so he was free to come and go. _Yet I'm trapped at my desk while he roams free._ Aisha allowed herself to pout for only seconds longer before she snapped herself out of her funk. She was the alpha, and she should act as one. She blew her bangs out of her eyes and looked back at the pile of work she wanted to complete before leaving. Groceries to order, as well as other supplies, job positions that were lycan friendly that needed to be applied for, security measures that needed to be placed. She reminded herself that being in charge can be frustrating.

2 Days later

 _Frustrating, bloody thing!_ Aisha fussed with her robes. _I hate these stuffy robes_ She was in full business robes once again, having been in the Ministry of Magic in order to talk to Potter's supervisor. With Harry wanting to keep his condition secret, and the Ministry being less than supportive with the whole being a werewolf issue, Aisha had to do some damage control. Then again, He was the Savior of the Wizarding world, and to no ones great surprise they weren't giving up Harry Potter simply because he got hairy once a month.

Aisha was leaving the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, when she accidentally bumped into the man himself.

"Blast it, sorry about that Mr. Potter." He brought up a hand to steady her.

" I'm not sure I can survive that. I may have been through a lot, but this may truly be the end for me." He joked, green eyes shining with mirth. Aisha laughed, and Harry smiled wider.

"What are you doing in the office so soon? You haven't been out of the hospital for less than a week." Aisha asked.

"Just picking up a few things. I am officially on 'medical leave' for the next four months, more like a forced vacation." He rolled his eyes, "You would think they don't believe me capable of taking care of myself. And what about you? How are you able to step out of your own office without everything falling apart with you gone." Aisha smirked

"I have it set so that I can escape for a few hours at a time. I mean a girl has got to sleep, even one as tough as me." She gave a little shrug, only then realizing Harry's hand was still on her arm. He seemed to notice as well, and he slid his hand away.

"Speaking of sleep, how are you getting along?" Harry scratched the back of his neck and grimaced.

" It could be better, but I've had worse." He brushed it off, and glanced at his watch. _Guess that's my cue to leave_ She tucked a fly-away hair behind her ear and said her goodbyes.

Getting to her London office, she floo-ed directly to her room in the Glade. She traded her stuffy business robes for muggle jeans and a jumper, braiding her hair over her shoulder. She walked across the compound to check in with her office for memos and letters. When it was dark she headed back home _warm bath… warm bed, what more does a girl need?_ And when she slept that night, she didn't have nightmares or dreams of fairy tales, instead she dreamed of green eyes.

Aisha had breakfast in the community building kitchen instead of her own the next morning. She was able to get an early start assigning tasks, and got to greet a few of the other community members. She was surprised to see Remus there. She set next to him.

"Good morning Remus, what brings you here so early?" She asked with a sip of orange juice.

"Melisa said she needs a few things before she can start brewing the wolfs bane, I am here to pick up her list so she can have everything by tonight. I am more than happy to help." _Eager Delta_ Aisha smiled, and then his comment registered.

"I just sent out a list of needed supplies 2 days ago. Honestly, she should have sent me a memo of what she needed." Remus laughed.

"Well, you know how it is preparing for the phase days. Everyone is busy and flustered, but there are more then enough people willing to help." Aisha stared into her orange juice and sighed.

It was the day before the full moon. There would be people arriving all day, pushing the to wards to their limits. A stressful time on top of an already stressful time _. An alpha sized migraine waiting to happen_ At least the routine was simple. Everyone would come to the compound for a large dinner, spent together as a pack. The next day would be spent together before the moon came up. The morning after would be spent relaxing, before having to get back to their normal lives. Harry arrived with Remus and his family, right before dinner time. By then, almost everyone was there, and the community kitchen and common rooms were full of chatter and bodies. It was almost overwhelming, yet it made her smile. A wolf really was happiest when it was with pack. Aisha greeted the Lupins, and Harry.

"I'm sorry, it can be… well, it can be a bit much." Harry just smiled and shook his head.

"Its fine. If I can survive a Weasley family reunion; I can handle this."

Teddy then drug Harry away to meet a few of his friends, Remus trailing along after. Tonks linked arms with Aisha.

"How are you doing lately? Heard you were in my neck of the woods the other day." Tonks said causing Aisha to smile at the older witch.

"I hate going to the Ministry, but not all parts of the job are glamorous. And my life may be stressful, but at least I am used to this lifestyle." She looked over to where Teddy was dragging Harry around by the hand. Tonks smiled softly.

"He's handling it nicely, for the most part. He spends a lot of time with Remus and Teddy lately, even though his friends are trying their best to help. I think he is finding himself with too much time on his hands, with the leave from work, and his recent break up. The last thing that man needs is time to twiddle his thumbs."

Aisha watched as Harry played with Teddy and some of the younger ones.

"Has Remus told him what to expect tomorrow night?" Tonks nodded, as they weaved their way through people.

"Remus went through everything. The different age groups, the option of the wolfs bane potion. He also volunteered to stay with him tomorrow night, to help him through his first phase. Be a familiar face and all." Aisha was grateful, being the alpha she needed to stay with the main group. Tonks and Aisha ended their conversation as they went into the kitchen to check on dinner preparations.

Aisha got home at 3 a.m, lighting the fireplace with a wave of her wand. She was exhausted, having a few hours after dinner chatting and catching up with community members before doing the finals rounds and boosting wards specifically for the full moon. She threw herself onto the bed to pull off her boots. She ran a hand through her hair, watching the flames. _Goddess, let this phase pass quickly. Too bloody exhausted to handle any complications._


	4. Chapter 4

Tonks was sitting at one of the tables alone, waiting for her loved ones to come back from the phase. Aisha, nursing a mug of tea with some pepper-up potion pulled up a chair beside her.

"Always up early. Please tell me you got sleep this time." She passed her tea to Tonks. " You look like you need it more than I do." Tonks gave a weary smile and took a sip of the offered tea. Aisha summoned herself another mug of tea, and settled back. Others started to appear, and Aisha waited by Tonks hoping that Remus would come back with Harry. She was nervous about how his first phase went for him. Teddy suddenly ran towards his mother, a big smile on his face. He was followed by Remus and Harry. _Oh Bones!_ While Teddy was fresh faced and smiling, Harry looked tired, his hair shaggier than usual, large bags under his eyes. Aisha went to the kitchen, and levitated enough breakfast for the whole table to follow her back. She handed Harry a cup of tea as she set down.

"Please tell me that you feel better then you look." Harry took a hearty swallow of his tea.

"I'm certainly glad that this only happens once a month, it is going to take a while to get used to." Aisha nodded, agreeing with him.

"And what's wrong with the way I look?" He asked with a small smirk. Tonks laughed out loud, Teddy giggling as well, although he didn't get the joke. Aisha felt her cheeks warm and she shot a unheated glare over at Tonks. She tried getting back on track.

"The best part about today is that it's all about recovering and relaxing. It can be spent here, or back in your home." She looked over the room, watching people eating and talking. She smiled.

"This is the way it should be. Being surrounded by friends, people who understand what you're going through and don't judge you." Her voice got really soft. "Someplace welcome and safe." She excused herself from the table, claiming she needed to do rounds. She was the alpha. She needed to be strong for her pack, and not let emotions seem to get the best of her. She wondered what she was going to do for the rest of her day. With nothing planned at all, the day was sure to be slow. _I could always do laundry_ She wrinkled her nose. A hot bath, fresh clothes, some laundry, and a visit to the library all before dinner occupied her time well enough. With not as many people staying for dinner as the night before, it was not as hectic, although it was still loud. At least it was until everyone had said their goodbyes and Aisha stood alone in the large kitchen, elbow deep in bubbly water washing dishes. She was humming softly while scrubbing a plate. Someone else came up beside her. Harry grabbed a dish towel and grabbed a wet glass to start drying it.

"I thought you went home with the Lupins." She watched him out of the corner of her eye.

"I don't have a busy life to get back to just yet, and my place here is a lot less lonely than my other one." He shrugged.

"Oh, gnawed bones," Aisha felt bad, " I'm sorry. I knew about the work leave, but…" she trailed off and gave him a guilty look.

"Don't worry about it." He gave her a crooked smile. " They have been trying to get me to take vacation time for a while, so they most likely slipped a few extra weeks in then needed." He put his hands on his hips.

"There is an awful lot of dishes to do by hand, you going to spend all night doing this?"

"I don't mind." Aisha shrugged. "I find it relaxing, sort of. If I get bored of it, I can always spell the rest of them." She made a fluttering hand gesture, bubbles floating and falling. Harry nodded as if he understood and they worked in silence for a while. Aisha felt a nervousness, but not in the awkward way, standing beside the taller wizard.

"How soon can I try the phase without the aid of potion" Aisha was so surprised that she dropped the glass she was holding. Harry pulled his wand and repaired it handing it back to her, but not letting go.

"Sorry."

"No, its perfectly fine. Its just not something I hear so soon. New were's are usually not comfortable enough for 6 or 7 months. "

"I've known Remus since I was 13. I understand the basics, which is why I'm curious as to how it happens here."

He released the glass. Aisha was puzzled by the spectacled wizard beside her. Harry noticed her look, giving her a crooked smile and running a hand through his hair.

"I don't understand."Harry tossed the towel across his shoulder and leaned against the counter.

"There was an accident, back when Remus was still my professor at Hogwarts. He forgot to take his potion and I was there when the phase started. " Aisha leaned on the counter next to him.

"I was also told stories about my father and godfather trying to help him control the phases. But here; everyone seems calm about it. They don't seem as torn up like Remus used to afterward." Aisha crossed her arms over her chest.

"Why should they, Mr. Potter? Why should they, or you, punish themselves for something that is not under their control. Nothing is wrong with you, and I have given everyone a way to prove that. Fear is a horrible thing, and it can turn even the most peaceful creatures into monsters."

Harry put a comforting hand on her arm.

"I'm sorry, I must have sounded like a total git. I didn't mean it that way." Aisha looked up into his green eyes, and knew he was truly sorry.

"I was going to spend a little time around the compound, and maybe help with a few odd jobs. If that is okay with you." Aisha gave him a small smile and nodded.

Harry gave her arm a small squeeze and waved his wand, the rest of the dishes starting to wash and dry themselves. He nodded his goodbye and walked from the kitchen, hands in his pockets. Aisha sighed, and chewed on her lower lip, trying to ignore the tingling of her arm where his hand had been.


	5. Chapter 5

It shouldn't have been a big deal. He was simply another member of the community and he had every right to be there. But for some reason, Aisha found herself hiding in her office to avoid seeing him. Aisha let her forehead hit the desk, and groaned. _Bloody bones! You are a strong, grown arse woman in charge of a whole lot of people_ She tried reminding herself. But butterflies tried flying right out of her stomach every time he showed up around the compound. So she spent more and more time in the office, because it was the only place he didn't pop up at. There was a knock at her door, causing her to jerk upright and fuss to get her hair back in order.

"Come in." She said, swiping her the bangs from her eyes. A young were, Jamie, stuck her head in the doorway, not coming in any further.

"Was just wondering if you were going to eat anytime today? It's been, what 3 days that you've locked yourself in your office. People are starting to worry."

"Oh, I am going to be done in just a minute. Just putting a few things in order." Jamie didn't look all too convinced, but she left anyway.

Aisha did eventually head down, and stood in the mostly deserted kitchen, arguing to herself. Someone called her name, pulling her from her daze, and she glanced towards the person. Next thing she knew, an apple hit her square in the nose. White stars burst in her vision, and she doubled over, hands covering her throbbing nose.

"Gnawed bones and the bloody moon!" She cried. Everyone who was there froze as if hit by a stunner, except for the one who threw the apple. Strong hands gripped her wrists and gently pulled her upright. Aisha opened her eyes, connecting to a pair behind spectacles.

Harry lifted her chin in one hand, and used the other to shoo her hands away from her nose. He checked for signs of blood or a break. He gave her a guilty half smile.

"You are a lousy catch." Aisha didn't say anything, finding her throat had sealed itself closed. _Cue the annoying butterflies._ He was very close, and he smelled simply wonderful, like fresh spring and warm sandalwood. _Blasted nose, sore and swelling, but seems to work just fine in picking up his scent_

"I'm…I'm fine. You just caught me by surprise is all." Her voice sounded weird to her, and her whole body felt too warm. One of his hands was still holding her chin; the other her own hand. His face extremely was close.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you." He said softly, his gaze moving from her nose to her lips; eyes growing darker.

Aisha snapped herself back, pulling herself out of his hands, blinking rapidly. He leaned down, picking up the now slightly bruised apple, before straightening back up. He looked slightly put out; having her snatch herself back like that. They stood there just looking awkwardly at anything but each other. Aisha feeling hot under the collar, heart trying to beat its way out of her chest. A slight cough reminded them they they were not the only ones in the room having her tear open the ice box and hide her face in it.

She hoped the incident would be discretely forgotten about by the few who actually witnessed it. But the amount of owls and memos she received the next morning was proof otherwise. There were far too many gossips and busybodies trying to invest themselves in her personal life, or lack thereof. Aisha was currently reading a memo from a muggle mother of a were who believed it was way past time for her to settle down with a nice young man like Mr. Potter.

She blew her bangs out of her face with a puff of air. She was only 25, she had plenty of time to worry about such frivolities later if she wanted. What she needed to do was her job. She grabbed her to do list, ready to get her mind onto things that mattered. First item on the list was to talk to Remus about Harry's phases. If Harry wished to try the next phase without the aid of potion, and Remus (having known him the longest) believed he could, then she would consider it. She wrote a short letter to Remus asking him to come over when available so they could talk about Harry. She then went to her window, whistled for an owl and sent it off. Aisha plopped herself back at her desk, and pulled more papers forward. She started braiding her hair while reading through them. Remus stepped through the fireplace soon after she was finishing reading through her stack of papers. He set in the chair in front of her desk.

"Harry wants to try the next full moon without wolfsbane potion. I wouldn't necessarily agree, however you know him best. What's your opinion?" She asked, jumping right to the point.

"If Harry wants to try, if he believes he is capable, than he is. But you would supervise anyway? " Remus said simply.

"I always sit through the first potion free phases. I'm just worried his current emotional stress and the effect it may have on his phasing." Remus looked at her, eyebrows high.

"Emotional stress? Harry doesn't have any emotional stress from what I can see."

Aisha's face scrunched in puzzlement.

"How is that possible? He was attacked just last month, he has basically lost his job, and has been through a breakup." _Bloody bones! Why am I having thoughts about someone who just ended their previous relationship?_ Remus laughed.

"Harry isn't one to think like that. Yes, he's upset about what has happened, but he is capable of adjusting. If he is stressed or upset he would draw into himself and remain solitude. He hasn't, and he didn't lose his job. Think of it more as a well deserved vacation. And his breakup was no real surprise to anyone who knew them." Remus sent her a look.

"Tonks mentioned that she told you about that. Although if you listen to the rumors Tonks been hearing, Harry hasn't been all that bothered by his recent breakup." Aisha's cheeks grew warm as she flushed.

"Thank you Remus. For your input." She pushed out between clenched teeth. Remus laughed and said his goodbyes, wisely getting out of the embarrassed alphas office. She tried breathing deeply. If she could just get through her work.

She was working on another item of her list; an unidentified animal nesting under the porch of one of the residents, and no one seemed to be able to get the blasted thing. So she was on her hands and knees, arse in the air and nose filled with scents of dirt and dust. Aisha wiggled her wand arm under the porch and gave herself some light. _Aha!_ She spotted the little offender, a Knarl, and asked the teenager helping her to go fetch a small animal carrier. She was busy trying to coax the damn thing closer when footsteps approached.

Thinking it was her animal carrier, she reached out a hand and looked over her shoulder. It wasn't her animal carrier. Harry was standing there with a crooked smile on his smug face. She felt the urge to bury her face in the dirt.

"I am trying to fish a knarl out from under the porch. Are you going to stand there watching me or would you mind giving me a hand?" She waited a few beats before looking back at him. He gave her another smile and a shrug, before kneeling next to her.

"Your arms are longer, can you reach it?"

"Give it a small stun first, I don't want it to bite me." He said reaching under the porch.

Aisha looked at him with accusing eyes, before stupefying the creature.

Harry was trying to grab it just as the teenager came back with the carrier, Tonks following him. Aisha stood, brushing dirt from her hands and knees to stand by the older witch, while Harry and the teenager finished the pest retrieval. Tonks glanced over at Aisha watching the other two work and gave her a small nudge and smirked. Aisha looked at her with suspicion etched on her face.

"Hows your nose?" Tonks asked sweetly. Aisha hid her face in her palm.

"Honestly, I don't understand how everyone has the time of day to sit around talking. How does information get around so bloody fast?"

"Oh, if it's juicy enough tidbits we find the time. Like how maybe Harry was ogling your behind just a while ago. And now you're doing the same." Aisha tried shushing Tonks as the other two held up the carrier with a successfully contained knarl inside. Tonks gave her a falsely innocent smile. Aisha pursed her lips into a thin smile.

"He does have a cute butt." She commented quietly and then stalked off. Tonks burst out laughing. Harry ran to catch up with Aisha.

"You know, I actually had a reason to come and find you. But you distracted me." She shot him a look.

"With the Knarl." He gave her a sideways glance and a smirk.

"I heard you had a meeting with Remus earlier, about me. How did that go."

Aisha blinked rapidly, coming to a stop.

" How did you know about that? That was only this morning." Harry shrugged.

"Tonks told me."

"That woman and her mouth! How does she get anything done? How is she able to raise a family, and keep her job if she has time to sit around and talk?" Aisha threw her hands in the air and glared at the figure of Tonks a few yards away. Harry laughed.

"Well she is a woman, and I hear they are great at multitasking." Aisha sighed and gave him a nudge in the shoulder for his thinly veiled compliment.

"We were talking about letting you try the next phase without the aid of potion. We have a special warded area that is quite large where we run. Without the potion, you may fear you will be more wolf then man, however in this calm environment you shouldn't worry. Your wolf will have a personality very similar to your own. Oh, and you will remember the whole night, as compared to after taking the potion, which makes everything fuzzy." She brushed some more dirt off her arm.

"Still willing to try?" Harry gave her a crooked smile.

"I'm usually one who rushes in headfirst. A little information isn't going to be enough to scare me away. I still want to try."


	6. Chapter 6

The full moon had slowly risen until it was at the highest point in the sky. Aisha sat across from Harry in a small clearing away from the others. He was looking calm, but she could practically feel the nervousness rolling off him. Aisha took a long, deep breath. She scooted closer, until she was right in front of him, sitting on her knees.

"You need to keep breathing. You know that you are perfectly safe here Mr. Potter. You have to trust me on that." Aisha gave him a reassuring nod. She wanted to put a hand on his arm or something, but wasn't sure how her touch would affect him tonight.

"Don't you think Mr. Potter is a little formal?" He asked, trying to relieve the tension in the air. His breath was shaky.

"I can walk you through it step by step, but if you have any questions, best ask them now."

"What happens if you finish your phase before, me? What do I do then?"

"I've been doing this awhile, I do have some measure of control and can hold off the phase for a small period of time. With practice I bet you could too."

Harry flexed his shoulders, a look of irritation crossing his face.

"Don't worry, it will only feel a little uncomfortable. As long as you stay calm it isn't going to be painful. Stay relaxed. I'm right here. Harry, trust me. Please." She couldn't say anymore, having to concentrate on keeping the phase at bay. Her fingers began to ache and felt like they were too big. Her gums began to tingle as well, signaling her teeth elongating.

In front of her, Harry's breath had sped up; sweat on his brow. Not a sign of panic, but of the phase, heart rate and breath speeding to compensate the physical changes. His pupils had elongated into long slits, but stayed the vibrant green. Aisha's eyesight sharpened, signalling their change as well. In just a matter of moments the phase completed. The young man went from human to large black and grey wolf with shaggy fur. Harry gave himself a giant shake. Aisha let a large breath and let the phase finish taking her as well. Her spine started to tingle and itch, and she felt the magic just wash over her. Aisha, now a red/brown wolf with white belly stretched out her forepaws and flexed her claws into the earth below. She gave Harry an amber eyed once over and then turned her back, walking away. She looked over her shoulder, giving her tail a switch in his direction. He took the hint and followed after her.

Aisha spent the night smelling out and greeting other members of her pack. She seemed to ooze authority, stopping small squabbles, and growling in annoyance at small incidents. She continued to blatantly ignore the black wolf following her the whole time. Many of the other wolves came to investigate the new runner, and he patiently let them smell him and try goading him into a run. During the early hours of the morning, Aisha went to a small alcove of trees and laid down for some sleep. Harry once again followed, circling before lying next to her. A little too close, because she gave a little snort and gave him a tiny nip on his ear. He gave a low whine and set his head on his forepaws, but he didn't move over. Aisha gave an equivalent to a sigh and licked his snout before laying her head back down.

She woke up again only a few hours later, completely human again. She had an ache in her shoulders and a very warm, very human arm thrown over her waist. She set up, and tried removing an asleep Harry's arm without waking him up. She stretched her arms high over her head and tiptoed to a solitary area, apparating right to the community building. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and poured herself a mug of strong tea, downing a pepper-up potion along the way. The kitchen was extremely busy, even though the clock read it was only 5:47 a.m, family members getting breakfast ready for the still sleeping weres. Aisha got out of their way, moving among the tables. She spotted Tonks, and pulled a chair out next to her.

"Good morning. How was Harry last night?" Tonks asked

"Incredibly mellow. He followed me around the whole time, but didn't shy away from others. He could be Beta material, although it annoyed me that sometimes; he wouldn't do some of the things I insisted." Aisha blew at her tea.

"That man went through so much when he was just a boy, its no wonder that he seems so much more mature than his age suggests. Not to mention the amount of authority he presents."

"Just as long as he remembers that I am the only alpha around here." They continued small talk until others started making their way in. The mood seeming light, though expressions tired.

The mood changed quickly though as soon as one of her betas rushed in, heading straight for her. She had a clipboard and a frown.

"There may be a problem." She handed Aisha the clipboard, which had a list of names.

"Clara Markus never showed last night by check in, and she is still unaccounted for."

Aisha frantically looked over the names, double checking them, then triple checking them. She lept up, eyes sharp and hard.

"Find Aarons and Halden. They are to meet me in my office upstairs in 5 minutes exactly." She started running.

"Wands ready! 5 minutes or I leave without them." She yelled over her shoulder, brushing past people coming in, almost knocking down Harry as he came in. He looked over to Tonks, questioning.

Aisha tore up the stairs, bursting into her office. She summoned Clara's file and searched through it for the address. She transfigured her loose robes into light pants and a thick leather overvest. She was pulling up her hair into a tight ponytail when Harry rushed through the open door of her office.

"What's wrong? Tonks said there has been an emergency."

"Nothing to concern yourself with Potter, now please leave. You are in my way." She didn't have time to be polite. She reached around her desk grabbing a small medical kit attaching it to her belt. Harry grabbed her shoulders and forced her to stop and face him. Aisha snarled at him and eyes flashing amber, angry at his physically hindering her. He didn't react, just staring at her refusing to let go.

"I am an Auror for the Ministry of Magic, I can help you. Please!" He asked.

Fine!" She tried pulling herself away, but his grip just tightened. Two large men pushed into the room, wands already in their grips. Aisha pulled from Harry's grip, and addressed everyone.

"Good, here with time to spare." She grabbed her coat off the back of her chair.

"Clara Markus never showed up for the phase, nor did she leave instruction saying she was going to miss it. We are going to her home to investigate. We go in hoping for the best, but expecting the worst. Here is her address, we floo there immediately. Aarons, then myself, Harry then Halden. Don't move until we all get there, unless a hostile is present."

They stood in front of the fireplace in Clara's small cottage. It was quiet when they got there, each of them with their wands out and ready. The small living area seemed normal, nothing out of place, scent detecting nothing out of the ordinary. Aisha put a finger to her lips indicating silence, then directed each to search a different area in the house. Aarons was sent to the outside to check the perimeter, Halden down the hall to the bedroom and lavatory, Harry through the door that most likely led to the basement, and herself through the kitchen doorway.

Aisha pushed herself flat against the wall and and quietly as possible inched her way into the kitchen. The air itself smelled still, off, which is the first thing she noticed. Her eyes flicked around, taking in everything else. There was stuff littering the floor, chairs knocked over, small things wrong. Then she saw the word WOLF, seemingly burned into the wall above the small stove.

"IN HERE!" She screamed.

She walked towards the breakfast island, already prepared for what she was going to see. The others came racing into the kitchen, and she turned around to face them, white knuckling her wand. They came closer and saw what she did, the mess, the burned message, and the prone form of Clara laying on the floor behind Aisha.

Aisha's face was a neutral mask, though her eyes were full of amber anger. She knelt next to the body, examining it. Clara lay on her back, eyes wide, staring unseeing at the ceiling. She had a dagger stuck in her heart to the ornate hilt. Quiet instructions came from her thinned lips.

"Halden, go to the Glade and inform them of her passing and keep them calm. Aarons, finish the perimeter sweep and see if you can find anything. Potter, head to the ministry and quietly inform the Auror Gidlow that there has been a Hunter attack at this address. Halden, tell no one of the details, I don't want a panic."

The three men nodded. Aarons left through the door as the other two apparated out. She gently reached out and closed Clara's eyes. She then stood and faced the ugly mark on the wall. Reaching out with her wand, she waved slowly over the mark with a whisper. The burned words started to peel and flake away from the wall, before turning to dust and floating to the floor. The wall now had no evidence of the scorched words.

She tried to keep the cool mask in place, determined not to lose control until everything was handled and she was alone. _Just breath, keep in control_ Aisha glared at the weapon sticking out of the poor woman's chest. The floo sounded and several wizards in long robes followed Harry into the kitchen, where they stopped to see her kneeling once again next to the body.

Aisha grabbed hold the dagger and freed it from Clara's chest. As soon as the handle touched her skin, it started to sizzle, and smoke. She stood, ignoring the pain in her hand.

"Silver" Auror Gidlow stated as she dropped it unceremoniously on the floor without another glance.

"I will let you do your thing here. I don't care what excuse you use, but I will be waiting for the actual report, whenever you have it finished." She placed her uninjured hand on the auror's shoulder.

"Thankyou, for everything." She whispered, then turned to address Harry.

" Aarons is still outside checking the perimeter. Tell him the team has arrived and to give them anything he has found. I'm heading back." She apparated straight back to her office before he even nodded his understanding. She took off her jacket. Then proceeded to throw it across the room with a choked sob. Her eyes stung with tears she had not allowed to fall; her throat tight. She slammed her fists down on her desk, over and over in a fit, until her hands landed flat on the desk surface. She winced, her slowly healing hand throbbed from the abuse. Tears finally spilled over, rolling down her cheeks. She wiped them away roughly. The crack of apparation signalled another person entering her office. She stared hard at the desk surface.

"Aisha," Harry asked coming to stand behind her, "are you going to be okay?" She turned around and nodded. But the nod turned into a negative shake of her head, and her breath caught loudly in her throat.

"I know I said to expect the worse, but… but you never really prepare yourself for something so bad." Harry took both her hands in his, raising her healing hand to his lips.

"I'm sorry," He said, placing a kiss on her palm. "I'm sorry that it happened, I'm sorry that you had to find her, and I'm sorry that it's happened before." He pulled her into a hug, wrapping his arm around her warmly and stroked her hair.

"How did you know?" She asked quietly, voice muffled by his sighed, his breath tickling her ear.

"Auror Gidlow had his team ready in seconds, all I did was mention the Hunter attack. You don't have to tell me now, but you can talk to me about this. As an auror myself, I can help you. Talk to me, please." He pulled away far enough to look at her. Tears escaping again, she closed her eyes. She felt him wiping the tears from her cheeks, then tilting her chin up. He laid his forehead against hers gently.

"When you can talk about it, just let me know." He hugged her tight, and they stayed that way, unmoving for several long gave her a small kiss on her forehead before heading for the door, letting her have some alone time. She collapsed to the floor, letting silent sobbs rack her body.


	7. Chapter 7

The next few days were swallowed in a mixture of shock and grief for the whole compound. They weren't told the full truth of Clara's death, just the fact of her could grieve for the loss of a fellow member without falling to the fear that surrounded the true details of her death. There was a private service for her, help away from the Glade. It was after the service that she sent Harry an owl, asking if he could come over. She was at her cabin, pacing around barefoot. It was a few hours after Clara's memorial service. She had taken a long hot shower as she waited for Harry to arrive,and now she was growing antsy as she paced. She halted her nervousness to glare at her coffee table, the reason for her nerves . It was currently groaning under the weight of a large trunk, filled with any scrolls, diaries, and scraps of parchment Aisha could gather with any mention of the Hunters. Including 150 years of Auror reports of possibly related deaths. Aisha was disgusted by the amount of information sitting in the middle of her den. She rubbed her temples and turned to her small kitchen to pour herself a strong drink.

She was leaning against her window, watching the waning moon rise, when there was a knock at her door. _Oh Bones!_ She steeled her nerves and opened her door. Harry was standing there, no longer in his dark funeral robes. She waved him inside.

"Hope you found my place okay."

" It wasn't too hard to find." He mumbled, sticking his hands into the pockets of his muggle jeans. She shut the door and they stood there for a silent heartbeat.

"Would you like a drink?" She asked, gesturing with her own glass. He shook his head, declining her offer. She nodded and led him the little way to her den. They set together on her small love seat, and she shifted until she could clearly see him.

"I…" She wasn't sure where to start.

"I don't want everyone to worry. I just want everyone to be happy." She took a large swallow of her drink. Harry gently untangled her fingers from around the glass and set it down by his feet. He laced his fingers with hers and gave a reassuring squeeze. She looked down at their hands and continued.

"I founded the Glade for two reasons. Everyone knows the first one, to introduce a friendly environment for people persecuted like us. It can be so hard, and I just wanted us to do more than just survive." She looked up into his eyes.

"The other reason, only a few trusted people know." Aisha gave a shaky sigh, and glanced down longingly at her drink sitting on the floor.

"I'm hiding us, all the werewolves I can. Hiding us from society, for our own protection. There is a group, they call themselves the Hunters. It is a group that hunt down and kill werewolves." She directed his attention to the giant trunk.

"That is all the information I've been able to collect on the Hunters. I've been able to get nowhere though." Harry's eyes widened at the size of the trunk, seemingly stuffed with information. Aisha chewed her bottom lip. _Don't freak out! He offered his help, and it's about time I accepted some._

"Please help me Harry. I know that you must be tired of hearing this, but please. I can't do this alone anymore. Help me keep them safe." Her voice was emotional, but she kept her facial expression schooled. Harry walked over to the trunk. He unsnapped the latches and opened it to glance inside at all the stacks of parchment.

" I can't say no to you." He tilted his head sheepishly and gave her a crooked smile.

"But I do think I'll take that drink now." Relief flooded her system, and she gave a numb nod of her head. They went into the kitchen, Harry scooping up her glass as they went.

She grabbed another from her cabinet and her large bottle of whiskey, placing them on the counter. Harry leaned back onto the counter, bracing his hands on either side of him.

"Believe it or not, I'm not the best with research." He stated. Aisha handed him his glass, and topped hers off.

"I can go through what you have here, but there is someone who would be much better at this. If you don't mind, that is." Aisha frowned into her glass, unsure about bringing yet another person into this. And one she didn't know.

"Don't worry, She will be very discreet, and you will be amazed by the sheer amount of new information she can dig up." _She?_ As in a woman. Aisha felt a little twinge, one she refused to admit was jealousy. She took a long swallow of her drink, trying to float the feeling away.

"No offense to your personal judgment, but only people I personally trust know about this."

Harry just nodded, and finished his drink.

"You're the boss." Aisha rubbed the back of her neck, feeling slightly guilty.

They didn't talk much longer, Harry leaving with a promise to be back in the morning to start going through the trunk. Aisha rubbed her forehead as she left the kitchen. She stopped in the den, glancing coldly at the trunk. Its presence seemed to take up more space then the physical object did. She turned her back, and marched to her room; slamming the bedroom door behind her. _Not enough whisky in the world from me to deal with that right now._ That night she had nightmares.

The weather the next morning reflected her mood perfectly. She made no fuss getting ready, knowing she would be spending the day locked in her London office buried in paperwork. She left early, so she scribbled down a note for Harry for when he got there, inviting him in to start whatever he was going to do. She shrugged into her overly large jumper and apparated away.

~14 hours later~

Aisha trudged across the compound to her small cabin. She felt mentally and physically exhausted, having spent her day behind a desk. She had received the official report on Clara's murder, the files now tucked underneath her jumper. It was still raining, her clothes and hair getting saturated, water dripping off her eyelashes. But she couldn't be bothered to find her wand. She fumbled her door open and collapsed against her doorframe.

She slipped off her soggy jumper and took off her shoes. Setting down her files on the kitchen counter, she took her hair down. It was dripping on the floor and she ran her fingers through it, trying to untangle the mess. Harry walked into the kitchen, catching her off guard.

"Welcome home."

"You're still here!?"She blurted, eyes growing wide.

"I didn't mean to overstay my welcome, I just got caught up," He gestured towards the den " I can leave if you want."

"No, you're fine," _Oh, Goddess!_ She looked down at the mess she presented.

"Just let me change and get less…drippy. Then you can tell me about what you went through today." She quickly retreated, locking herself in her room. She glanced at herself in the mirror. _Oh bones! I look like a drowned rat!_

She quickly stripped out of the rest of her clothes and grabbed her hairbrush.

She rummaged through her drawers grabbing dry clothes, trying to be quick so Harry didn't have to wait long. She felt her cheeks heat up as she thought about that. Harry was in her small house, and she was naked in the other room. Her brain gave a hiccup, and she fluttered her hands trying to get herself to focus again. She gave her head a shake, trying to dislodge the highly inappropriate, girly teenager which had taken control of her brain. She shimmied into a pair of old muggle jeans and an oversized sweater. She fished around for her wand and cast a drying spell on her hair as she walked back into the den. Harry was sitting on the floor, trunk open in front of him. She brushed out her long hair.

"Do you want something to eat? I can't have you starving yourself." He simply shrugged, so she drifted into the kitchen by herself. She grabbed an apple from her basket of fruit and then flipped her wand in order to put away her wet jumper and shoes, cleaning up the water left on the floor. Harry followed slowly behind her.

"Sorry about the fuss, I'm not used to someone being here when I come home." She explained, taking a small bite of her apple.

"Not a problem. Bet they taste better when they haven't assaulted you first." He didn't even try to hide his smug smirk. Aisha flushed pink, remembering the incident. Her heart gave a little squeeze and the butterflies started going wild. She gave her apple a vicious bite. Harry's eyes became glued to her mouth, and Aisha unconsciously licked her lips. A breath caught, and she wasn't sure if it has his or hers. He stepped towards her, until there was hardly any space between them. Her heart felt like it was in her throat as she looked up at him. He raised his hand, and in a featherlight touch, brushed his knuckles across her cheek. Her eyes fluttered shut. He leaned down and touched his lips to hers.


	8. Chapter 8

It was a sweet kiss, only the slightest touch of their lips. Then there was a clap of thunder and they were startled apart like a bunch of school children. Aisha felt as if her heart was pounding a bruise on the inside of her ribs; she liked the feeling. Harry's eyes were dark,

"I…" Aisha cut him off, bringing her lips back against his. She wrapped her arms around his neck pulling him closer. She felt his lips lift in a smile, his hands moving to her hips. He tried to keep the kiss teasing and light, but it soon grew hungry. His grip on her hips grew stronger, and he pulled her flush against him. A small whine left her throat as he nibbled on her lower lip. She opened her mouth for him, his tongue invading to tease hers. A low growl rumbled from his chest, sending shivers down her spine and a slow heat to rush south. He teased her tongue with his, tasting every inch of her mouth, and she let him take his time. She tangled her fingers in his hair, molding her body against his larger frame. Harry's chest gave another pleased growl, and her knees went weak at the sound. Harry's hands slipped around and cupped her arse through her jeans, before lifting her and placing her on the counter behind them. Their lips never left each others as he settled himself between her legs and pulled her tight against him. She could feel him between her legs, his arousal against her. Her temperature spiked several degrees. Her hands gripped the counted frantically in an attempt to ground herself. In doing so, she knocked the file that was sitting there off the counter. It hit the floor with a loud thud.

The sound echoed in the quiet kitchen. Harry looked at the file on the floor, and Aisha let her head fall back into the overhead cabinets.

"Clara's file." She explained. The mood from before instantly vanished. Harry retrieved the fallen file, and Aisha pushed herself off the counter. She pinched the bridge of her nose, taking a deep breath. Harry took her free hand and led her back into the den, placing Clara's file in the trunk. Aisha threw herself into her armchair. Harry ran a hand through his hair. Hair currently more ruffled than usual because of their previous activities. _Gnawed bones, its been a while since I was snogged like that_. Harry gestured to the large stack of Auror files.

"Auror files?" She nodded.

"They go back quite a ways too, and I have no way of knowing about any unreported deaths."

"They all had identifying markers that related them to Hunter attacks. At least the ones I got through did."

"Yeah, I'm trying to find a way to get muggle police records on any deaths that could be Hunter related, but so far I'm having no luck." Harry gave her a small grin.

" I sure that if you let her, Hermione can get just about any record you could want."

Aisha recognised the name.

"Hermione was your school friend right? She's the one you want to help us?"

"Yeah," He replied, sitting down in front of the trunk, putting parchment back inside. "She lives for a good challenge and a good cause. You should have seen her while we were at school." He laughed and began telling her stories of Hermione's childhood antics.

Aisha's chest gave a flutter at his easy expression, listening as they both packed away the trunk. Harry grabbed two of the journals she had, and stood.

"Is it okay if I take these with me. I promise not to lose them." Aisha nodded and walked him to the door.

"Thanks for letting me be here today. Is it okay if I come over tomorrow too?"

"Careful Potter, you might end up boring yourself." She joked. He looped an arm around her waist and pulled her into a quick kiss, light with a teasing brush of tongue.

"You will never bore me, especially if you join me tomorrow." He gave a small wave and shut the door behind him. Aisha gave a happy hum, that sounded suspiciously like a purr.

Although Aisha would have loved to accept Harry's offer to spend the next day elbow deep in the trunk with him, she had other responsibilities. It was actually a few days before she had the time to to do anything except tell him goodbye every night. She had currently been called from her house because of an altercation between two members, including one of her deltas. It was her issue to deal with this before it became physical.

She pushed herself through the ring of people gathered around the two feuding men.

"Have we all nothing better to do than watch a tussle like bloody school children?" She asked loudly, sarcasm dripping for every word. People drifted away, trying to watch from a greater distance. The two in the center were one more remark away from fists flying.

"What is your problem? Because I have more than enough to do today without breaking up any tea parties." She stood, hands on hips and a scowl on her face.

"Karter, act your status, you gaint git!" She demanded to her Delta. Both men took a step back. The scene could have been laughable, 2 large men cowering in front of a woman more than a head shorter than them.

"He's been poaching on my girlfriend." The other accused of Karter. Karter didn't deny it, and the girlfriend in question stood close by with a falsely innocent look on her face.

"And you decided that the way to handle it was to beat the shite out of each other? I assumed you would try and be more civilised." Aisha noticed the girlfriend shoot Karter a flirty smile from behind her boyfriend's back. Aisha grimaced, they didn't need this extra drama right now.

"Enough!" she said, cutting off any further arguments. "Karter, go inform the community kitchen staff that you will be helping them with whatever they need for the rest of the week." She ordered, sending him off to his demeaning job. The girlfriend gave a little pout to lose one of her admirers, before sending a little fingerwave behind Aisha. She turned and saw Harry standing there, and felt anger bubble a little too close to the surface. She turned to the man still before her.

"Maybe, if you didn't want your girl sniffing around everything with an ounce of testosterone, you shouldn't date such a slag." His eyes went wide at the accusation, and there was a very undignified shriek from the woman behind him.

"You have no rights to call me names! Surrounding yourself with all sorts of strong men, having them come and go from your personal house all the time." The woman raised a long pointed nail at Harry. Aisha merely raised an eyebrow and turned her back to the red faced woman, already fed up with the whole situation. A manicured hand grabbed her shoulder and spun her around. The woman got up in her face.

"You are such a hypocrite. Everyone knows you use your position to sleep around!"


	9. Chapter 9

Aisha's temper snapped, and while she saw red, everyone else witnessed something scarier. Aisha grabbed the wrist holding on to her shoulder and squeezed. Her eyes went amber and slitted; her voice low and growing, filled with authority.

"I can call you whatever I want. I am your Alpha." She snarled, showing pointed canines. She squeezed the wrist hard, causing the other woman to fall to her knees. She glared down at the woman.

"If you wish to stay here in MY pack, you will stop creating problems between your packmates. And you will show me the respect that my position deserves." She released her hold and shot a glare to the surrounding viewers before turning and stalking away. _Dammit! Now_ _I'm gonna have to have someone monitor her, in case we need to obliviate her, and possibly the boyfriend too._ Harry caught up with her and walked silently next to her. She stopped and punched the side of the nearest building.

"Bloody Bones, I don't have time for this shite!" Harry watched her throw her fit, wisely not saying anything. She glared at him and then stomped off again, heading towards the main community building. She pulled aside the first beta she found and gave him instructions on handling the situation, then headed up to her office. She slammed her door behind her, right in Harry's face. He knocked and came in without any answer. He raised his eyebrows at her emotional behavior.

"Oh don't you dare. I'm not the one that asked you to follow me." She snarled. " This is all your fault in the first place." She poked him in the chest and paced around.

"What? How is this my fault?" She shot him an heated glare.

"No, you do not get to blame me for this. You're angry and I'm the only here for you to take it out on and that's not fair." She gave her desk a vicious kick, desperately trying to keep her words inside. He was standing there with his arms across his chest, watching her. Her control snapped again.

"You came in here and caused all these feelings. I had no problem but then you get here and..." She made a frantic gesture with her hands.

" No, you were angry before and it's not because I followed you here." She growled in frustration.

" Oh goddess, men are so thick sometimes." She turned away, "You come here, and I have no control over my own bloody emotions. And then there was the wave, and gah! I wanted to snap her fingers off. Its makes me crazy!"

"You're mad at me because of control issues? How does that make any sense? She challenged you and you got angry, you're allowed to do that." She threw her hands up in the air.

" I have never snapped like that, ever! But then you're there, and I can't think anymore. You confuse me, my brain just shuts off and I act without thinking. You show up.. stupid crooked smile… and I can't…" She babbled, turning accusingly back at him.

" Why do you make make lose control?" She asked through gritted teeth. Harry grabbed both sides of her face and pulled her into a bruising kiss. Her hands were caught between them, grabbing at his shirt, pulling him closer. He thrust his tongue into her mouth, not teasing but claiming. He started to nibble on her tongue, pulling it into his own mouth, causing her to moan aloud. He tangled one hand into the nape of her hair, angling her head for easier access, his other hand slowly sliding down her spine to the small of her back.

He worked his way along her jaw, stopping to bite her earlobe. She moaned again, her breath coming out fast and shallow. He pulled her closer, sliding his tongue down her neck to suck at her pulse point. She felt a whine building up in her throat and she arched against him, crushing her breast to him. He bit her soft neck, right where it met her shoulder, with a low growl.

"Harry" She gasped, eyes flying open. He gave the bite mark a slow lick, then gave her a quick kiss on the lips before loosening his grip.

"Sorry, I just… well, it seems like you're not the only one who is having issues with control. You look so bloody irresistible when you're all angry" Aisha could definitely agree but with the way he was pressed against her, his arousal against her hip, made it difficult to think. Made it difficult to breathe. He let her go and took several steps back, running his hands through his hair. He looked up at the ceiling and gave a sigh.

"Shite!" He said between gritted teeth, giving a low growl. She stumbled back into a chair.

"Don't." She whispered, her voice a little husky.

"What?" He asked.

"Growl like that."

"I'm sorry, I don't even mean to. It just sort of happens." Her body felt too warm, and her stomach was all springs wound tight. The scent of mutual arousal hung heavily in the air. He stepped towards her again, and her heart beat faster. A small gasp slipped out before she could stop it. She watched his eyes grow darker and he took another held up both hands.

"Wait, we both need to cool down. Too fast." She choked out. _But fast is good, fast with Harry is REALLY good._

"I like fast," He said with a smirk "but if you want slow, I can do slow. For you." he said running his eyes over her. Aisha swallowed loudly and apparated away.


	10. Chapter 10

Aisha wasn't going to think about it as a retreat, but as a tactical decision to apparate away. She didn't know if she could have kicked him out after the look he gave her. But she had self control,and if she kept telling herself that maybe she would even believe it. So she was hiding away in her London office doing some deep breathing and trying to cool herself down. She slouched low in her seat. _What am I supposed to do with him_ She took another deep breath and put her alpha mask back in place. Don't _think about your own needs, think of the pack_. Although she had to admit that it was easier to think that way when Harry wasn't in the room with her.

An owl tapped on her window, startling her. _Goddess!_ She opened the window, and the owl swooped in. It stayed long enough to drop its parcell and fly back out. Latching her window, she picked up the parcel. It was from the ministry. She opened it, pulling several parchments and files out. She felt all the blood drain from her face. Today was far from over.

Her cabin door slammed against the opposite wall, bouncing back. Harry jumped up from the loveseat, concerned. Aisha threw the parcel of parchment down onto the end table. Harry slide one closer to him, reading what was on it.

"Auror files?" He asked.

"Three more Hunter related murders, one a month. Gidlow just sent them. Apparently he just found out about them earlier today. Carla's murder makes that a total of four. Four murders these last four months! Gnawed bones I've never heard of so many in a row. If the patterns holds, there will be another murder before the end of the month." She fell to the floor, hiding her face in her hands.

"We have to stop them Harry. It doesn't matter that these people weren't part of my community, I won't let anyone else die!" He set next to her, and put an arm around her.

"Tomorrow, first thing, take me to Hermione. If you trust her, then that's good enough for me."

He have her shoulder a gentle squeeze.

"I'll tell her to expect us." He said. He gave her a small kiss and left. Aisha set in her den, not moving until it was dark outside.

They appeared in the country side, in front of an adorable squat house with a front gate and overflowing garden. There was an peaceful openness all around, the only neighbor was a tall crooked building far in the distance. Harry followed her line of sight, arm still tight around her waist.

"That's the Burrow, it's where Hermione's husband grew up with his family." Harry opened the front gate and led her through to knock on the bright yellow front door. Aisha fussed with her shirt, suddenly nervous. The door was opened by a bushy haired woman, her face splitting into a giant smile when she saw Harry.

"Sorry for the last minute visit." He apologised, entering the house. Hermione led them to her living room, insisting they sit.

" No problem, you didn't really explain anything in your owl though. And Ron was upset that he was going to miss your visit. He had to go into work early." She took a seat herself, having a little difficulty with her slightly swollen belly making her front heavy.

"You must be the one who Harry is always running off to spend time with. Aisha, right?" Aisha looked from Harry back to Hermione, silently wondering what Harry had told the woman. She nodded as her cheeks tinted an embarrassing shade of pink, and Hermione gave her a knowing smile. Harry interrupted.

" This isn't a social call Hermione." He glanced at Aisha before continuing.

" We need your help with research." Aisha explained.

" We need everything you can suss up about the group that call themselves the Hunters. Aisha has some information already that you can look through. You will need to use every magical and muggle source you have, but no one can know what you are doing or why." Hermione looked a little nervous and unsure.

"Its very important, and it will save lives." Harry said

Her expression grew serious, her lips forming a thin, stern line. Aisha spoke up.

"No one can be told, it can put a bunch of people in danger." Hermione nodded slowly.

" I swear that nothing that happens between us will be repeated, but I need everything you have. You need to tell me everything, so that I can help you to my full extent." Harry gave Hermione's hand a squeeze.

"Thank you Hermione." Harry looked at Aisha expectantly. Aisha still wasn't sure if she could hand over her whole trunk of information, she was worried about it being in someone else's hands. But she had to do what was best for the pack, and Harry believed that Hermione was just that.

"Harry, can you go get the trunk from my house? I can explain while you're gone." Harry had to step outside to apparated away, and Aisha turned her attention to Hermione.

" Before I can explain, I need to know if Harry has told you about anything…" She was trying to choose her words carefully. Hermione nodded with a reassuring smile.

"Ron is his partner and was there for the attack. He told us of his condition. He skips over most details, but he did mention you and how you reached out to him." Aisha sighed in relief, it was going to be so much easier to explain everything now that she didn't have to worry about possibly outing Harry.

"Yes, I offered him my help. I offer many help; as many as I can. There is a place, and there are many of our kind that live and visit there. I keep them all hidden. While this place is kept secret, I fear that we won't be safe long. The Hunters are a group of self proclaimed werewolf hunters. If we do not stop them, I'm afraid they will kill countless others. I want to know who they are, and how they keep finding us. Harry praised your skills, and I'm desperate enough to go to outside help." Hermione stopped her.

"I'll help. It's important to Harry, and Harry is family. Besides, these horrible people need to be stopped." She gave a determined nod of her head as if to prove her point.

Aisha smiled, she was really starting to like Hermione.

"You are actually the first person that knows about this place that isn't a were or related to one." There was a commotion at the door, Harry trying to get in while maneuvering the trunk in after him. He set it down in front of Hermione and opened it , showing her all the stuff inside.

"Are you sure you're up to this? I wouldn't want you to strain yourself." Aisha asked cautiously. Hermione looked ready to dive in already, eyes sparkling.

"Don't you fuss. Ron won't let me do anything lately, as if he's afraid the baby is coming tomorrow. I'm only 6 months, and I'm dying for a project to really get into. I can have the majority of this looked over by tomorrow." Aisha's eyes widened. Harry quickly said their goodbyes and pulled Aisha outside, letting Hermione fully focus on her new project.


	11. Chapter 11

True to her word, Hermione had Harry deliver her trunk back to her the next night. Aisha had been just finished her dinner when he knocked on the door. They moved to the den, Harry deciding to stay and go over notes that Hermione made about her progress, while Aisha had to do some paperwork of her own. She was sitting cross legged on the floor working on the coffee table, while Harry set on the loveseat across from her. They were both working in content silence, Aisha sneaking peeks up at him every so often. Harry leaned forward, holding out an old photograph.

"Hermione wanted to know more about this." Aisha knew immediately what it was. There were four figures; two men, a woman, and a young girl. Aisha looked at the smiling faces, feeling slightly sick to her stomach, and pointed them out one by one.

"Thats me," she said pointing to the little girl, about 5.

"Thats my mother" she pointed to the woman that resembled Aisha quite a bit.

"That's my father." She pointed to the man on her mother's right, his arm around her shoulders.

She faltered before pointed out the remaining figure in the photograph.

"Thats was my father's best friend, and my godfather."

"Why was it in the trunk?" Aisha dropped her head. Harry called her name but she refused to look up. Harry circled the table and set beside her, placing a hand on hers. He called her name softly. She didn't look up, but spoke in a very hushed voice.

" My mother was a born were, no magic in her family. My father was a wizard, muggleborn. They met after he finished school, but she never told him about what she was. One full moon he tried to surprise her, and she accidentally turned him. He didn't care, he still loved her. They got married and a few years later, they had me. When I was eight, the man who had been friends with my dad since school, my godfather, came to our house. We didn't know… he found out what we were… we didn't...He was a Hunter, Harry. He had found out what we were, even though we thought we were careful. He came to our house and he tried to kill us. My mother died that night, and we lost our home. The reason that picture is in the trunk is because its the only Hunter whose identity I know."

Her voice never raised, never wavered as she told her story, and Harry never interrupted. He laced his fingers through hers, and set silently next to her letting her calm down. She leaned her head against his shoulder.

"How will we stop them? It feels like we still don't know anything."

"You are strong, Hermione is brilliant, and I'm stubborn. Together we will figure this out." Aisha could tell he was trying to cheer her up.

"After dinner, Hermione was telling me a few of the things she was going to try. You should have come, by the way. You would have been able to meet Ron."

" Does he know Hermione is helping us?"

"No, Hermione didn't tell him, and there is no way he'll figure it out on his own. Hermione says he's too thick when it comes to her projects. But he is a good guy, you would like him." Aisha chuckled.

"I'll need to thank her again. I didn't want to put any strain between their relationship."

"Don't worry really. She has her causes and as long as he nods and lets her do her thing, they make a great couple. The pregnancy just makes him a little nervous. Its going to be their first child." Aisha smiled softly. She had such a soft spot for children. Harry leaned closer, brushing her cheek.

"Why do I always choose the most inappropriate time to want to kiss you?" Harry whispered.

Aisha's faced flushed and her heart sped up. She turned her head, meeting his lips with hers. She hated how she was letting her personal life get ahead of pack business, but she couldn't stop herself. Harry gave a sigh, happy that she was just as willing to act on her feelings as he was.

"I'm going as slow as I can here, and it's killing me." Harry whispered against her lips. Aisha pushed forward until she was on her knees, one hand holding herself up as the other one wound behind his shoulders. She kissed him a little harder.

"I said we should take it slow, I didn't say wait for forever." She whispered back.

Harry took that to heart, threading his fingers in her hair, pulling her deeper into the kiss. She ended up straddling his lap, hands gripping his shoulders. Harry ran hand one down her side, resting on her hip. The kisses started small, growing longer until Harry swept his tongue at the seam of her lips. She immediately opened, sliding her tongue along his. The room was growing too warm, but she couldn't help but lean into the warmth of Harry's body. His fingers tightened in her hair, causing a spark of pleasure to shot down her spine; she gave a small moan. Harry moved down to her neck, she dropped her head back, giving him better access. He gave small kisses and nips along the column of her throat. She had a sharp intake of breath, Harry was doing amazing things with his lips and her brain felt like turning to mush. She arched her back, pressing her breast into his chest. There was a rumble of a growl from his chest and she felt pleasure flush her.

"Harry." Aisha gasped. Her only response was a harder nip on her tried holding back the whine that was trying to escape, but it came out anyway as a small mewl. Harry pulled back to look at her in surprise, his eyes dark. He gave a grin that was completely predatory. She flushed darkly.

"I really liked that, lets see if I can make you do it again." He trailed his tongue up her neck.

"Harry…" Her voice came out breathy. He claimed her mouth again, nipping at her lower lip. She canted her hips against the straining of his trousers, and felt her eyes flutter as she gave a husky moan. Harry also moaned low at the friction she created. She tried it again, but his hands shot to his hips, holding them still in a grip like a steel trap.

"Don't!" He growled, laying his head on her shoulder. His breath was was coming out in pants, uncontrollable.

"I won't be able to stop... if you do that again." Aisha licked her swollen lips, pulling his chin up until they were looking eye to eye.

"I'm sorry." She said, touching their foreheads together. Harry ground his teeth, and gave her another hard kiss.

"You make the most amazing sounds. I can't seem to stop myself." He nuzzled her cheek.

"Well then that makes us even." Aisha said, flushing, "because I really like it when you growl."

Harry laughed, his whole body shaking.

" I don't even mean to do that. It must be a wolf thing though, I never really did it before."

Aisha hugged him, tucking her face into the nape of his neck.

"I don't care what it is Harry, as long as you promise not to stop it." She breathed in his scent, still heavy with arousal. _Oh bones! I love this scent_

"Really, it doesn't seem too… animal." Harry sounded unsure. Aisha set back to look at him and laughed.

"We turn into actual wolves once a month, and you're worried that a little growling is too animal? Harry," She leaned in close, nosing his ear. "When you growl like that, I can't think straight." Harry gave a big fake growl, causing Aisha to give him a small smack on the shoulder.

"Tease." She stood up, adjusting her clothing. She sighed.

"Honestly Potter, I don't know what to do with you sometimes."

"Were doing a pretty smashing job a few minutes ago." Harry grinned picking himself up as well.

Aisha felt her throat catch, and gave a small cough.

"Um," Aisha awkwardly brushed her pants. "It's getting pretty late. You should probably head off."

"Or we could really give everyone something to chatter about and I could stay the night."

Aisha whipped around, staring at him in shock.

"What?" She felt her cheeks heat up again, and she almost stuttered.

"I promise I'll behave. I'll even sleep on the couch and everything."


	12. Chapter 12

Aisha was hiding in her office in London once again. She knew it was a bad idea letting Harry stay over last night, knowing it would just be fuel to the fire of the gossiping bitties. So here she was holed up in her office all the way in London, hiding from nosy community members and their mothers. She laid her cheek on the desk and gave a disappointed sigh. She really wished that she had something to drink, something alcoholic in nature. She should be heading home now, and she contemplated flooing straight to her house but she wasn't sure if Harry would be stopping over tonight.They had both left at the same time that morning; Harry giving her a sweet goodbye kiss before heading over to Hermiones. _I can go to my other office, and sleep at my desk, the amount of memos would make a suitable mattress._ She ran her hands over her face. She needed to pull up her big girl briefs and act her position. She would go to her office, collect all her mail, and take them to her house. Then she would read them while soaking in a very long, very hot bath before going to bed. Her stomach gave a slight growl, and she revised her plan long enough to add dinner. She fixed her jacket and apparated to the Glade office. Oh bones she had been right. There was a large pile of memos and owl posts on her desk. She gathered them in a flurry of her wand and headed out the door. She stomped into her house, and felt her eyes go wide. Harry was in her kitchen, towel slung over his shoulder. He was cooking, or had been before she came through the door.

"Mr. Potter, I'm beginning to suspect that you may like spending time in my house." Aisha said with a coy smile, shrugging out of her jacket.

"I will have you know that I had some amazing plans, and you have ruined them."

"Oh," Harry said, grabbing dishes from her cabinets. "What plans were those?"

"I was going to have a nice long bubblebath while reading over all the sentiments from well meaning gossipmongers." Harry gave her a smirk.

"I don't see why you can't add myself and some dinner those plans. I will have you know that I love bubble baths." Aisha gave a small snort in laughter.

Harry handed her a plate, piled high with spaghetti.

"How about we laugh over those letters while we eat. You have been hiding all day, and that must be hungry work."

"I don't know, it sounds an awful lot like a date." Aisha narrowed her eyes playfully, "And I have been hard at work, its insulting that you think I was hiding."

"Well, its not technically a date unless you say yes."

"Then I hold all judgment until afterward." They leaned against her counter; balancing their plates. They read each one of the notes, laughing at the range of supportive murmurs and encouraging speeches.

"Would you like to take that bubble bath now?" Harry asked, taking her empty plate away.

"Oh, sorry. That would be a no. That sounds like the end of a date." She twirled a finger between them. "I never said this was a date."

"So I get no end of the night goodbye kiss?" He asked, closing in on her.

"You did cook me dinner, and if it will get me closer to my bath, I'm willing to give it a try."

Harry pulled a face and turned away, acting all hurt. Aisha laughed and snagged a hold of his collar. She slipped her arms around his waist, leaning back on the counter as she looked up at him.

"Harry, you can have your goodnight kiss. But tomorrow, you need to spend time at your own place. The whole pack is going to start thinking that you're moving in. You have your own place and a flat here. Spend some time with your friends, enjoy your time off."

Harry rolled his eyes.

"I am enjoying my time off." He protested. Aisha huffed out a sigh. Harry tapped his lips and gave a raised eyebrow in expectation. She leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. He pulled her in as she tried to back away, stealing another kiss.

"I will spend all of tomorrow doing meaningless vacation stuff at my own place, but in return I'll need you to think about what this is between us. All these rumors flying around, you're going to ruin my reputation. You might have to make an honest man out of me." Aisha was suddenly very unsure. Harry left, and what should have been a relaxing bath was consumed with thoughts about what Harry had asked.

"Have you been holding out on me?"

Aisha looked around, not expecting anyone else to be around this side of the compound. She spotted Tonks walking up.

"Afternoon Tonks, how did you find me?" Aisha turned back to what she was doing.

"Someone mentioned that you were enforcing the wards around the east forests."

"What can I do for you then?" Tonks came to stand next to her as Aisha started weaving magical barriers again.

"There is so much talk lately and you know you should never trust everything you hear. So I was hoping that you can clear up some information for me is all." Aisha gave the older woman a sideways glance.

"Tonks, I am shocked!" Aisha joked. "That sounds suspiciously like gossip." Tonks just shrugged, a large grin on her face. Aisha finished the spell and chewed her lip.

"Tonks," She turned to the other woman, "is it okay if I ask for your advice. In confidence."

Tonks set down in the grass, patting beside her.

"All these rumors going around about myself and Harry, are a lot more exaggerated than the truth."

"I knew that you keeping Harry chained to your bed as your personal boy toy wasn't true."

Aisha choked a little, face flushing deeply.

"Is that seriously what some people think?" Aisha gasped. Tonks shook her head and laughed.

"Sorry, I just had to get that one out, it's been burning a hole on my tongue since I thought of it."

Aisha set down roughly next to Tonks.

"You are a very evil woman." She sighed.

"Harry has asked me to define our...relationship. But I don't know what to do. I'm not used to dealing with things so personal." She poked at the ground with her wand.

"I asked him to help me with a project, and it brought us pretty close. I have feelings for him, and I would still like his help, but I don't think I should mix the two. Almost every part of my brain is telling me that I need to put the pack business in front of everything. But it hurts to think like that. And now I need to worry about the phase coming up, and..." Tonks nodded.

"Did you know that Remus and I had some issues getting together. I wanted to, even though I knew it could be dangerous and could hurt me. Remus was the one trying to be logical at the time. The only good that did was postpone the inevitable really." Tonks smiled fondly

"Remus had been too caught up in outside circumstances. We were in the middle of a war, and because of his condition; he thought I could do better. But my heart wanted what it wanted, regardless of what my head and everyone else said. You may be a very powerful person with a great amount of responsibility but you are also a woman, who deserves something good to happen. Maybe that good thing is Harry. You just need to stop thinking like an alpha, and think like a person."

"Even with me thinking like a person, I feel bad. He used to be in a relationship, like just 3 months ago. I think he has feelings for me, but then again… It's easier to be an Alpha then it is to be a normal woman with relationship problems." Tonks clicked her tongue in disapproval.

"Sounds like a big old excuse to me. His last relationship was that in name only. They didn't spend any time together anymore and only lasted as long as they did because they thought they had something to prove after the war ended. It may seem cruel that the breakup happened after his attack, but it should have happened like him. He likes you. Go for it!"


	13. Chapter 13

Aisha tried to consider Tonk's advice as she continued her tasks that day. But the toll of all the stress caused her energy to drain very quickly, and she found herself emotionally exhausted and ready for the day to just end. Sure, she was used to dealing with stressful situations, but the combination of the mandatory attendance this full moon and trying to figure out just what Harry meant to her was bringing her close to her breaking point. Normally she would have ended the day with a hot bath and then throwing herself into bed, but that night she could barely manage to crawl into bed.

She ended up tossing and turning all night in a light, dreamless sleep. So when morning came she was not ready to face another day like the one before. She didn't want to get out of bed. But she pulled herself up anyway, and put on a brave face before heading out. Aisha tried not to think about how she still didn't know what to tell Harry. _Do I even know what to tell myself?_ She walked into the community building; already bustling with early morning activity. She was halfway up the stairs when she spotted Harry across the room below. Her heart gave a jump, and she felt her chest fill with happiness. Aisha felt suddenly very clear on what she was going to do. She went back down the stairs and marched over to where Harry stood talking to others. He turned as she stood next to him, and she grabbed his shirt by the collar, pulling him down. She smashed her lips up against his.

When she let him go, there was a look of surprise on his face. She pulled on his hand, leading him away, with an awkward cough as everyone watched in silence.

"I need to have a word with Mr. Potter... if you'll excuse us." Aisha pulled Harry along, up the stairs and into her office. Her face felt hot, as she was sure she was flushed an alarming shade of pink.

"Well that was unexpected." Harry laughed and pulled her into a hug.

"To both of us really." Aisha admitted.

"What does this mean?" Harry asked, brushing her hair over her shoulder.

"I wasn't sure what to say, it near drove me mad yesterday trying to think of what to do. But then I saw you, and everything felt better. I'm not sure what to call us, but I want there to be an us. You make me happy, and I want you." Harry gave a hum and kissed at her temple.

"Will you be an us with me?" Aisha asked.

"I can't say no to you." Harry smiled. "I would love us to be an us. At least until you're comfortable calling it a different name." He brought their lips together in a sweet kiss.

"Now what can I do to help with your stress?" Aisha sighed.

"You were a cause of a great deal of it; no offence. But now I just have to worry about the normal stuff. You know, keeping everyone safe, and all that."

"Oh, I'm good at that." Harry joked. "By the way, Hermione wants to meet with us after the moon cycle. She says she may have a plan, but it needs to be explained in person."

"Something to look forward to then."

The black and grey wolf gave a large yawn, and flopped to his side. The red wolf looked down her snout at him and gave a huff. He licked at her paws and gave her wolfy version of a grin. She laid down beside him and touched her nose to his. The night was still young, yet he was determined to laze around. And she was content enough to spend the whole night right there with him. The black wolf nuzzled at the red; inching closed. She was nearly pushed over at his insistent nudging. She stood up and placed a paw on his snout. She would spend her time with him; she would not let him horse around like they were mere pups.

When Aisha woke up the next morning, it was later than usual and Harry woke up at the same time. They walked into the community kitchens holding hands, Aisha blushing only slightly as they did so. Aisha felt increasingly nervous however, as she thought about the upcoming meet with Hermione. If she had a plan that could help them it would mean so much to the community, but Aisha had no way of knowing what this plan could entail. They were at her place, Aisha getting a fresh pair of clothes.

"Harry, when is Hermione expecting us?" She asked, trying to tie her hair back.

"Don't worry, we head over there later this afternoon. Hermione wanted to wait for Ron to be at work." Harry came up behind her, wrapping her tightly in his arms.

"Hermione is a very smart woman. I'm sure her plan is brilliant."

"I guess I just don't want to get my hopes up. I mean, look how long I've had that stuff and I've not been able to find anything useful." Harry kissed the side of her neck.

"Don't worry about it. You have a little bit of time before we go over there, and I don't want to to be fretting about it until then. If you worry too much, I don't know if I'm doing a good job of being the me part of us." Aisha sighed and gave a slow smile.

"Good." Harry said, giving her a peck on the cheek. " Now, go do something productive and leaderish. I'm going to steal your shower for a moment." Aisha laughed as he let her go.

Hermione answered the door with cheerful smile on her face.

"So glad you guys are here. Hello again Aisha." She ushered them inside and set them down. Aisha looked nervously at Harry.

"I've been going over all of the information that you gathered. And while it's good information, it doesn't hold enough clues about this group in order to actually find them." She set down across from Harry and Aisha.

"You used what information you could to figure out ways to keep everyone smart, which is a great thing to do, but I don't think we can go any further than that. I propose we think outside the box."


	14. Chapter 14

"You're saying that I don't have enough information to work with?" Aisha asked.

"Not at all, I'm saying the information you collected can't help us find the anyone. Its mostly personal journals and Auror files. They all point towards the Hunters, but there is nothing there there that can give clues on finding and stopping them." Aisha bit her tongue and set back, crossing her arms. She wasn't upset with the brunette witch, but she was upset that all the work she thought she had been doing was just a large waste of time. _Those aren't tears I feel burning behind my eyes…_ Harry pulled her hand into his, entwining their fingers.

"Don't be upset." He whispered.

"Harry's right. I said before that you used the information here in order to keep your pack safe. And you have seemed to do an amazing job at that. I simply saying that we have to; and I can't believe I'm saying this, but we have to stop just gathering information, and do something."

"I've originally was trying to think of a way to gather more information. But I believe the best thing to do is to ask the ministry for help, maybe even the public." Aisha caught her breath, and ended up having a coughing fit while Harry asked Hermione just how muddled her brain had become from the pregnancy.

"Now calm down, and listen to what I have to say before you decide I've gone mad." Hermione demanded. Both Aisha and Harry listened, settling back down to listen. Though Aisha would have considered leaving, she decided to give Hermione a chance for Harry's sake.

"Now, bear with me, I may indeed sound mad. But if you listen to everything you will understand where I am going with it. You don't have to go with this plan, however I believe that at this point in time it would be beneficial to everyone." Hermione set back and rubbed a hand over her stomach.

"Right now, the press is still scrambling for the story of Harry being pulled from work. With his return soon, I suggest that we have a press conference. He can make up some excuse, no one really needs to know about the truth. Now, no offence Harry, but everyone still dotes on you terribly so if you say you have a new cause during your press conference, everyone will back you up. Then, with the power of the full ministry behind the cause, we will have better resources, and we can stop the Hunters; sending them to prison where they belong. And the best part is that no one needs to know anything about Harry's new condition or about Aisha's pack."

"Wow," Harry said, thinking it over. "It certainly is an interesting plan. But there is no guarantee that the Ministry would put their full support behind me on an issue like this." Both Aisha and Hermione looked at each other and then at Harry. He became aware of their combined stares and shrugged.

"Harry, the ministry practically begged for you to keep your job after the accident." Hermione stated.

"Yes, the ministry, which is not exactly known for their werewolf friendly tendencies. No one else could have gotten away with that. As Hermione said before, anyone would do anything if it was for you." Harry ran a hand through his shaggy hair and refused to look at either of the women.

"I can let you and Harry go over what he will say to the press, that way all wording can steer clear of any secrets best kept, well… secret. I can get in touch with the press and Harry's superiors, informing them of the upcoming press conference. We can always decide on a date later. But it's best to be done right when he returns from work." Aisha squeezed Harry's hand.

"That gives us a month then. Harry is supposed to return to work after the next moon phase." Aisha swallowed thickly.

"Are you okay doing this?" Harry asked. " You know it was just a suggestion, we can come up with something else if this makes you uncomfortable." Hermione nodded in agreement.

"Honestly, it scares me. I'm so used to keeping everything a secret. The thought of having everything go public, even if it's not really everything makes me incredibly nervous. But it is a brilliant plan, Hermione. If we can get everything said correctly, we can end up saving countless amounts of people. I would still keep the Glade secreted away, but at least I can finally put an end to the constant fear of being hunted."

You're sure?" Harry asked. Aisha nodded.

"I can finally see an end to everything." She gave a small smile.

"Thank you Hermione."

"No problem at all. But We really must get together for things other than business. I would love another woman to talk to. And I am awfully curious about you. Harry only tells me so much." Aisha laughed.

"I'm afraid to know." She glanced over at Harry. "What sort of things are you telling her about me?" Harry just shook ducked his head and gave it a shake.

"Harry, can you be a dear and fetch me a glass of water?" Hermione asked, an obvious attempt to get him to leave the room. Harry stood and left the room.

"He seems very happy." Hermione commented as soon as he was from sight.

"He is doing better then when I first contacted him." Aisha agreed.

"Well, I meant more along the lines of your relationship."

"Oh," Aisha felt her cheeks heat, "I guess we do have a relationship now, but it's complicated. I don't know what we would call our relationship, but there is one."

"It's good for him, whatever it is." Hermione smiled.

"He should invite you over for dinner sometime." Hermione said as Harry came back into the room with a glass of water.

"I've already asked her actually, but she never really gave me an answer."

"After this is all over, you can take me to dinner wherever you want." Aisha told him.

"Harry James Potter, you better bring her to dinner here or I will be forced to do something unpleasant." Hermione warned. Aisha let out a small laugh and Harry grinned at her with a lopsided smile.

"Do you have anything else planned for the day, or can you stay for some lunch?" Hermione asked the two. Harry looked over at Aisha.

"We would love to stay for some lunch."


	15. Chapter 15

"My goodness, she certainly was full of questions." Aisha exclaimed when they got back to her cabin.

"Well she did say she wanted to get to know you better."

"That hardly explains why she asked about werewolf courting practices." Aisha flushed.

"Maybe that one was more for me…" Harry hinted. Aisha rolled her eyes at him.

"I want to make sure I'm doing this right." Harry said. Aisha put a hand to his chest.

"Harry, trust me, you're doing perfectly fine. Half of the compound knew your intentions to me before I did." He stepped closer, taking her hair down and running his fingers through it.

"I've never really been good at subtle. Tell me, what were the plans for today?"

"Catching up on reading. I usually go to the library and spend most of the day in there. Does that sound tempting enough?" Harry gave a small frown.

"And if I don't take you up on that, how upset would you be?"

"None at all. A few of the others usually put together a small quidditch match in the fields and I know that you would rather be doing that then hide in the library with me." Harry's face broke into a large grin. He hooked his arm around her shoulder and gave her a quick kiss on her cheek.

"Go ahead, you know where to find me when you're done."

Aisha was curled up in the large library, but she wasn't really focused on reading. She was imagining what Harry was doing. She really didn't enjoy watching quidditch, or understand how others could, but Harry was probably amazing to watch. And now that they were … an us, she shouldn't feel guilty about wanting to spend time with him for reasons beyond pack business. _And I don't have to feel guilty for snogging him either_ She resisted a giggle and her chest felt it was going to burst open. Too bad it was too chilly outside to play without shirts or Aisha would be extremely tempted to actually watch the quidditch game. Aisha's brow furrowed as she tried to think. _Oh Bone!_ She had never seen him without a shirt before. She chewed on her lower lip as she imagined what he would look like.

"That must be a very boring book. You haven't turned a page in the last 15 minutes." Harry said, surprising her. She snapped the book shut and set up with a jolt.

"My mind was… elsewhere." She admitted, her eyes taking him in. He was all windswept, his cheeks chapped pink and his hair a wild mess. He looked incredibly sexy.

"You about ready for dinner then?" He asked, completely oblivious.

"Sure." She choked out.

Dinner was an ordeal. And Aisha was glad it was over. It meant that everyone was free to return to their own lives, and that the compound would be nice and quiet for a few days. Another full moon passed, and everyone from the community was safe. Harry was once again helping her clean up the kitchen.

"Are you ready to go back to work then?" She asked in an otherwise silent kitchen.

"Yes and no. It will be fun getting back to work, but I've almost gotten used to having all this time free. It might be hard getting used to my work hours again. " He admitted.

"You won't be able to spend as much time around the compound." She hinted. _Not as much time around me_

"Yeah, that's why I think I should give back the keys to the flat I have here. Between going back to work and my flat in London, I won't be spending too much time in it, so having it free for others would be best."

"Oh," Aisha said, feeling a little down.

"I mean, I'll still come over during my free time and for the cycle, but we both know that I spend more time at your place then I ever did at mine. Unless you want to kick me out..." He said with a crooked grin.

"Wait. Are you saying you want to give the keys to your flat back so that you can stay at my place during the moon phase?"

"Yeah, I may have been hinting at it."

"You just assume that I'm going to let you? I say, Mr. Potter, I'm not that sort of lady." She teased, hitting him with her dish towel.

"No, but you're an us lady now. And it wouldn't be the first time I slept on the couch." He laughed.

"And maybe I don't want you on the couch." She whispered, looking away as her cheeks flushed against her will. Harry was silent, and she sneaked a peek back at him. He looked a little shocked, but also quite happy at her admission.

"You know you can crash at my place too, if you're ever in London." He recovered, going back to work at the counter.

"I'm definitely not sleeping on a couch." She joked, and the both laughed.

"Although," She groaned, " I might have to take you up on that offer. Everyone is going to be in a tizzy after our display this phase. And now that it's over, I can only imagine the rumor mill is nearly bursting about the two of us. I am going to be swimming in letters for the next few days."

"That sounds like so much fun. It's too bad I can't help you read through them all."

"And why not?"

"I'm going back to work soon, I have to start training, get back into shape and all." Aisha gave him an unheated glare.

"That's a pathetic excuse."

A knock on her office door had Aisha perking her head up.

"Come in." She called.

Tonks popped her head through the door.

"Hello Tonks, Have the day off?"

"I do. Teddy's running around downstairs with a few of his friends, hope you don't mind." The older witch replied, taking a seat.

"Of course not. Did you need anything?"

"Just to talk. Last time you asked my advice, and I was certainly glad to hear that you took it. A little disappointed that I wasn't there to see it, heard it was pretty spectacular."

Aisha rolled her eyes.

"Yes, I may have lost rational thought when that happened, but we both know where we stand now. And apparently, so does everyone else." She said with a wave to the large pile of opened letters and notes addressed to her.

"There are just happy for you, you know. It's been an ordeal, really. There was a group that was planning on setting you up with someone if your single days lasted too much longer. But now everyone is happy that you're happy." Tonks said with a shrug. Aisha had a sneaking suspicion that Tonks might have been in the little group she had just mentioned.

"I just wish people paid as much attention to pack business as they do to everyone else's business, but then I guess I would be out of a job."

"Oh please, no one does paperwork like you do, I'm sure you would still be needed." Tonks teased.

"How is the family?" Aisha asked with a laugh.

"Teddy is already begging to go to Hogwarts, but we keep telling him he still has 3 years. And although Mcgonagall has made an exception for him to come here for Moon phases, Remus is worried that others won't accept him because of his condition."

Aisha nodded, understanding.

"That's why I was home tutored, but Hogwarts is a great school, I'm sure it won't be as bad as Remus believes it will be. Where is Remus anyway?"

"Oh, he's training with Harry. With him going back to work soon, he asked if Remus will go over basic training with him or something like that."

"You better have warned Harry to take it easy. You and Remus aren't as young as you used to be." Aisha laughed. Tonks wrinkled her nose at the comment.

"I bet you 10 Galleons that Remus can still give Harry a run for his money." Aisha knew it was possible of course, she had handpicked him to be one of her Deltas after all. But she would take the bet anyway.


	16. Chapter 16

"Just let me finish up here and we can find them and see." Aisha taunted, picking up her quill.

"No need. They told me they would be in the fields. All we have to do after that is follow the sound of curses being cast." Aisha put the quill back down.

"Bloody bones! One of them are going to get hurt! We should go over there now." She let Tonks lead her to where the two wizards were. However when they got there, the two were not training, they were sitting together in the grass, sweaty and breathless.

"Whats all this?" Tonks asked, hands on hips.

"You're supposed to be getting ready to go back to work. Remus, you're supposed to be winning." The two men looked at each other and back at the women standing before them.

"What are you talking about?" Remus asked.

"Nothing."Aisha jumped in. "What were you two thinking? You can't practice with real curses out here like this? What if someone got hurt, what if you two got hurt?"

"You worry too much." Harry laughed, shaking the hair from his eyes.

"Don't worry Aisha, we made sure no one was in the area, and its open enough that we saw you coming. And we are capable adults, we wouldn't have hurt each other." Remus explained.

"But who was winning?" Tonks asked. Aisha cleared her throat pointedly and shot Tonks a look.

"Are you two finished, or were you going to continue?" Aisha asked.

"We were going to try a few more hours worth and then be done. Sorry that you came out here just for this." Harry replied. Aisha gave them a look she usually reserved for unmanageable teenagers, with full pursed lips and raised eyebrow.

"Don't overdo it." She warned and then turned to walk away.

"Show him who's boss." Tonks encouraged her husband before following after her.

Aisha shook her head and gave a quiet laugh.

"You are absolutely ridiculous, you do realise that. They probably think we have gone mad."

"We bet money to see which one is better than the other, I think we are just a bit mad." Tonks laughed.

Harry walked into her office just when it started getting dark, looking like he had indeed been show who was the boss; and it hadn't been him.

"We may have overdone it…" He gave her a crooked grin.

"What happened?!" She asked coming around the desk to him.

"I guess I've gotten a little soft since I've had time off work. Either that or I shouldn't have taken it easy on Remus." He rolled his shoulder and grimaced, grabbing it where it was obviously bothering him. Aisha sighed.

"Go over to my place and take a shower, then I'll look at your shoulder for you. Did you leave Remus in similar condition?"

"No,fortunately for him he's left in much better condition." _Damnit!_

"Damnit!" She whispered.

"What's that about?" He asked. Aisha waved it off.

"I'll explain later. Go get cleaned off. You're all sweaty and dirty." He walked out, and she tidied up her desk before following, going back to her cabin. She took off her shoes and let down her hair as she waited for him to finish in the shower. She set down on her loveseat and flipped through papers then heard Harry get out of the shower. His hair was wet, but his clothes were clean again and he smelled of soap. Aisha patted the spot beside her and put aside her paperwork.

"Let me see what you let him do to you." Harry set beside her and turned his back so she could check his left shoulder. She ran her hands over it, feeling the tense muscles. A tiny spark of heat flared in the pit of her stomach.

"So what explaining do you need to do?" He asked

"Huh?"

"You said you would explain later, explain what?" Aisha laughed.

"I owe Tonk's 10 Galleons. We may have placed a bet on who would win the duel, and I lost. Well, you lost…so..."

"At least you bet on me, I guess." Harry laughed.

"What's wrong with your shoulder exactly?"

"I'm sure it's just a sore muscle, It wasn't a curse or anything." Aisha sighed at him and rolled his eyes.

"I need to take a look at it, it might be bruised." Harry reached back and pulled his shirt over his head, trying to be careful with his sore shoulder. Aisha's breath caught and her heart gave a squeeze as she stared at his bare muscular back and shoulders. She tried recovering quickly, pressing her fingertips lightly over the tense knot she found there.

"It's going to bruise, but it won't be too bad." Her fingers danced across his heated skin until she met a raised edge of a scar across the back on his neck. Harry unconsciously froze, unsure how to react.

"I'm sorry." Her voice incredibly soft. He turned, facing her.

"They've healed, but no one else has seen them." His right shoulder had several white scars twisting along the top, leading around his neck and the top of his upper arm. She hesitated, Harry watching her.

"Do they hurt?"

"No."

"Can I…" She trailed off, then reached out anyway, tracing one of the thicker scars. She felt Harry stiffen, but he didn't pull away.

"Do you hate them?" She asked.

"I don't know." He gave a curt laugh, "I used to be good looking, but now…"

She leaned forward, placing a kiss on the scar her finger had been tracing. She kissed her way along each scar, finishing with the ones on his neck. She nuzzled behind his ear, his hands resting softly on her hips as she leaned against him.

"Don't you know I'm the alpha, and I only choose the best. And I chose you. Scars and all." She rubbed her cheek against his before pulling back and looking directly into his green eyes.

"Would you suddenly not want me anymore if I was marked? Do you not want me, seeing as I'm not marked like you are?" She pulled her own shirt over her head, and placed his hands on her shoulders. His eyes were greedy as they took in the sight of her.

"No." His hands moved down her back slowly. He placed a kiss to her smooth shoulder.

"Good." She whispered against his lips. Harry nodded his head and sealed his lips with hers. She climbed into his lap, straddling his hips as he leaned back into the arm of the loveseat. The kisses and touches were not hesitant, but greedy. Aisha fussed with his belt, trying to get it undone and he pushed her back. She fell against the empty cushions, and he looked down at her.

"I'm done waiting. I want you, now." His voice was incredibly husky and it caused her spine to practically melt.

"Come take me then." She bit her lower lip.

"Is that an order from my alpha?" He growled, leaning over her slowly. Her heart sped up and she was never happier to give an order. She looped an arm around his neck and pulled him down to whisper into his ear.

"Most definitely." She purred and then followed it with a slow lick to the shell of his ear. Hands were rough as they explored one another; clothes hitting the floor in an attempt to uncover every inch of their bodies. His tongue was hot as it licked trails over her stomach and breasts, she arched her back begging for more. He pulled her legs around his hips, letting her wrap her thighs around him and he gave her thighs a squeeze.

"Harry." She gasped, her hands tangled in his hair. His chest gave a rumble as she pulled on his hair. He liked the neediness in her voice, how desperate she sounded for him. He ground his hips into hers and she gave a little whimper. She bit hard into his shoulder and felt him shudder. He looked at her with green eyes swimming with arousal.

"Really?" He asked. She laughed and gave him a coy smile.

"Don't hear you complaining." His eyes narrowed and he went for her neck with a low growl, nipping and sucking. She couldn't keep the noises back as he worked his way down her throat. Hips hips pressed forward, arousal pressing against her. She was already slick and ready for him. The smell of their mutual arousal was heavy, making them both dizzy with lust. She tightened her legs around his waist and he took it as a sign to continue. He pushed into her slowly, her fingernails scratching across his back as she let out a low moan. His jaw clenched at the feeling of her tight around were both still, hearts pounding and breathing raw. Then she arched upwards, crushing her lips to his hungrily. Their rhythm was perfectly matched, him pulling out and thrusting back into her as she arched upwards to meet him. The thrust grew faster, deeper, and she felt the pressure about to break. She gasped, her pleads coming out breathless and high. But he seemed to understand, pulling her higher in his lap, thrusting harder and deeper. She snapped, pleasure flooding her body and she screamed into his shoulder. His chest rumbled in satisfaction at the fact that he could make her lose control. She moaned as she came down, the thrusts never stopping, but growing erratic. She bit down on the column of his throat, wanting him to lose that control too. And he did, thrusting into her one more before pulling out and releasing all over her stomach.


	17. Chapter 17

He rested his head on her shoulder, their breathing slowing down. Harry tried sitting up again, and ended up falling off of the loveseat. Aisha burst out laughing. She jumped of the seat herself, snatching up some clothes and running to the bathroom, Harry's laughter following her. How the bloody hell they managed to stay on the thing during that whole thing was beyond her. She hopped into her shower, quickly rinsing off. When she got out she pulled Harry's shirt over her head and went out to check on the man himself.

"How's the shoulder?" She asked, catching him trying to pull this trousers back on.

"There's going to be a mark, you bit me pretty hard."

"Not what I was talking about." She smirked. She pulled him closer, looking at the marks she had clearly left on his neck and shoulder. A bubble of pleasure rose into her chest at the site of them.

"They'll be gone in a day or two." She assured him. He wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled her neck.

"You smell so good." He mumbled. Aisha chuckled.  
"I smell like you. Like you and…" She trailed off with a flush.

"I know. I like it." His voice rumbled against her skin. He suddenly swept her up, hands behind her knees and back.

"Harry Potter! You put me down this instant!" She squealed, holding on tight to him. He laughed, carrying her to her bedroom.

Aisha was sitting at her desk, locked away in her office. She twirled the quill between her fingers as she shuffled through papers. She had a whole list of things she needed completed by the end of the day, and Harry was upset that he was not on her list. She gave a large sigh and set slumped in her chair. The paperwork seemed more draining and boring than usual. She felt all fidgety and no longer wanted to be there. It may have been because she was aware that Harry and Hermione were planning the press conference. While she had agreed to the idea, she was growing more and more uncomfortable with it as it loomed closer. Her mind kept coming up with new ways that it could go wrong. _Bloody Bones!_

She also had to prepare the pack before hand. Aisha wouldn't let her pack find out about the current danger through a press conference. She had the duty as an alpha to be the one to tell her pack, and she only had two and a half weeks left in order to do it. She knew that it would be a large hit to the trust of the pack for them to learn that she had been hiding something so large from them this whole time; she just hoped that no one chose to leave after she told them the truth. Aisha gave a great sigh and laid her head down on the desk. She should probably put that on her list and get it done as soon as possible. She closed her eyes and did some deep breathing. _One item at a time and you'll be done before you know it_ she tried telling herself. And after a few repetitions she finally felt confident enough to pick up her head and start.

It was dark outside when she started putting everything away. She would have to take a few things home to work on, but it was either that or sleep in her office. She was mentally going through things as she crossed the compound when someone came up behind her, wrapping an arm around her waist.

"You do realise that if you were anyone else, I would have clawed your eyes out." She glared up at Harry. "Sneaking up on me in the dark after a very frustrating day." Harry laughed and gave her a peck on the cheek.

"I think I could take you," He gave her a small squeeze, "How tough can you be?" Her brows raised at his teasing tone.

"Hold on tight." He said, pulling her close and apparating away. When everything was still again, she let go of the iron grip she had on his jacket.

"What were you thinking?! You can't just do something like that when I'm not expecting it!" He just laughed.

"You were fine. I had you." Aisha looked around at her surroundings; wondering just where he had risked splinching to take her.

It was a large room, looking comfortable and lived in. She gave him another raised eyebrow.

"Where are we?" Harry gave a shrug, looking adorably nervous.

"It's my place. I thought it was about time you came over." Aisha smiled and her heart gave a squeeze.

"Do I get to see the whole place, or this room only?" Harry smiled and took her stuff from her and set it on his large couch.

"You get the full tour." He took her hand and showed her through the rest of the house. Aisha had to admit, it was a very lovely place; if a bit large for one person. They ended up back in the living room.

"Its amazing, but Harry; I can't stay. I've got a lot of work to finish." She said sadly.

"But you can do that here." He ran his hands up her arms. "I promise I'll behave until you finish." Aisha was having an inner struggle. She really needed to finish, but he smelled really good.

"If I stay, you'll have to help me with my work. In fact, thats a really good idea." She was unconsciously moving closer, pressing her body against his. He had a crooked grin on his face, and his eyes were growing dark.

"There isn't too much there. If you help me I could be finished much faster." Her resolve was fading fast. She pressed her nose into the crook of his neck, breathing deeply. And then her resolve disappeared completely.

"Do we have to do it now?" Harry asked, hands snaking tight around her waist. She licked a trail from collar bone to ear.

"Definitely not now." His chest gave a rumble of a growl.


	18. Chapter 18

He pulled her tightly against him. Their lips met, slow and burning. Her hands roamed down his chest, finding their way beneath his shirt. He walked her backwards until they hit the couch. He kissed his way down her throat, sucking hard on her pulse point. She moaned, her knees going weak. She hurriedly worked the buttons of his shirt, pulling it off his shoulders. Her nails ran lightly down his chest, causing his to shiver slightly. He pulled from her neck, giving her a rough kiss before turning her around quickly. _Oh Dear!_ She gasped, her hands grabbing the edge of the couch as he pressed into her from behind. His fingers bit into her hips and he ground his arousal against her. He leaned over, nibbling on the back of her neck, his hands sliding into the waistband of her trousers. His fingers slipped past the band of her panties; lower until two fingers slid easily into her. Her head dropped back against him and a high whine escaped her lips.

Their breathing was fast and shallow; their clothes were discarded so quickly, she would have sworn he had vanished them. He thrust into her with a sharp snap of his hips and she seemed to forget how to breathe. The pace was fast, almost rough as he slid into her. She couldn't hold back her voice, practically chanting his name. He was thrusting into her so deeply, she felt too full. His grip grew tighter, his pace faster. It was too much, and she felt pleasure flood her system, her eyes fluttering closed as she cried out. He growled low in his chest, her body tightening around him causing him grit his teeth. He pulled out of her warm heat and painted her back with his release. Her knees and elbows felt like rubber, she swayed slightly before leaning heavily into the couch. She shook her head and snorted.

"Do you have a thing with couches?" Aisha teased. She felt a cold sweep of magic over her back, and Harry leaned forward, pressing a kiss to her neck.

"The problem with spontaneous shags is that you can't really control where they happen." He handed her his shirt.

"Are you complaining?" He asked with a crooked grin. Aisha flushed pink and tugged the shirt over her head.

"Hardly." She tried tugging the shirt further down, but it stopped just below the curve of her ass. Harry pulled her to him, arms folding around her waist. His fingers fiddled with the hem of her shirt.

"I'm glad to hear it. Would you like something to drink?"

"Do you have any hot cocoa?" She nuzzled into his chest. Harry chuckled.

"I'll go get some." He shimmied into his trousers and left off to fetch the cocoa from the kitchen.

They were curled up on his couch, Aisha leaning heavily into Harry's chest.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked, arms around her. Aisha nodded drowsily, handing him her empty mug.

"I'm tired." She mumbled, a yawn forcing her jaw open. Her eyelids were heavy, and her body felt all warm and relaxed. Which she considered odd. _Too much to do to sleep now_

"Do you want to go to bed?" His heartbeat was even, the rhythm tugging her deeper into her sleepy state. She shook her head no, trying to convince both of them. Another yawn, just as unwanted as the first.

"Come on." Harry gathered her up in his arms and started walking to his bedroom.

"I still have work." She tried to argue, cuddling closer to him.

"One good night's sleep will be good for you. You've done enough for today."

"Why am I … so sleepy?" Harry stayed quiet, shutting his bedroom door with his foot. Aisha would have given him a suspicious glare, but her eyes refused to open.

"Potter, that cocoa… chocolate only." Harry chuckled, setting her in the bed, pulling covers over her.

"Yes, I gave you a drop or two of sleeping draught. You can fuss at me in the morning." He climbed in beside her, pulling her close. Aisha gave an angry huff that came out sounding more like a sleepy sigh.

"I will… You are in..." Yawn! " So much… trouble…" He kissed her forehead lightly.

"Whatever you say."

Aisha ran her hand along Harry's jaw, his unshaven stubble tickling her palm.

"What are you doing?" Harry grumbled, refusing to open his eyes.

"Nothing." She replied. He tried shooing her hands away from his face, releasing the hold on her waist.

"Stop the nothing." She gave a little smirk.

"You spiked my cocoa last night." She said it in a falsely sweet voice.

"You already told me off last night." He fibbed, burying his face in his pillow. She cocked her head and watched him. She was aware that she had fallen asleep before she was able to do anything. Her eyes gave a mischievous sparkle, and she pulled herself onto her knees. She braced herself and then gave Harry a giant shove. he slid from the bed and landed on the floor with a giant thud and a yell. She looked over the side of the bed and blew him a kiss.

"That's what you get for spiking my drink, Potter." She climbed out of bed, careful not to step on Harry as he stared up at her, flabbergasted.

"I've got to get back to the office, I seem to have gotten behind on my work. See you later." She flounced out of the room, looking back just once.


	19. Chapter 19

The first thing she had done when she returned home was to schedule a meeting later that day with all of her Betas. They were the only ones in the pack who she had told about the outside danger. During the meeting she had informed them of the increased activity of the Hunters, the upcoming press conference, and her plan to tell pack about the issues before they heard from an outside source. There was a large debate; there were some who thought it would be easier to keep the pack in the dark and there were those who believed the pack should have been told the truth to begin with. Aisha would have liked Harry's input, but he needed to deal with his issues, and she needed to deal with pack issues herself. By the end of the meeting, it had been decided exactly how she would address everyone. _Too bad it took nearly 4 hours to decide_

She undid her braid, running her fingers through her hair and using her nails to massage her scalp. She glanced at the clipboard in her lap, looking over the other other jobs she needed to get done. Aisha would have to once again inform the whole pack that attendance for this moon phase was mandatory. She made a quick note on the clipboard so she wouldn't forget. She only had a few days to get it done. She leaned back and gave a large sigh _Time to get to work…_

Several hours later, Harry came into her office carrying a tray of food. He set it down in one corner of her desk and came around to place a kiss on her cheek.

"Can you stop for something to eat?" She smiled up at him and set aside her paperwork. She returned the kiss and frowned.

"You shaved." Harry ran a hand across his jaw, thoughtful.

"Yeah, I didn't want to look too scruffy." Aisha pursed her lips.

"I kind of liked the stubble. It wasn't too much, but it was sexy." Harry smirked and handed her some apple slices. She bit into one and gave a happy hum.

"Sexy, you say. I'll have to keep that in mind. What did you have to leave so early for this morning?" He asked, grabbing himself something to eat as well. She shrugged.

"I had a lot of things that I needed to take of. Its full moon in just a few days, and I need to have everything taken care of before then."

"What are you working on now?" He asked, pulling her clipboard to him so he could look over it.

" Writing letters so everyone knows to be here for the moon phase. I just need one or two, then it's simply copying more for everyone."

"You had a meeting this morning? About what?" He asked, scanning the clipboard again. Aisha rolled her eyes

"Deciding what to tell the pack before hand. The day of the full moon you will be having your press conference. But the pack has a right to know what's going on first. I've been putting it off and now it's last minute, so I had a meeting with the betas to decide how to tell the pack."

"I would have liked to be there, I could have helped." He looked a little upset.

"Harry, you have your own press conference to worry about. And you're going to be starting work again soon. It's not a big deal. I'm the Alpha and it's something I needed to get done. Besides you have helped more then enough."

"I thought we were doing this together though." He stepped away from her, turning away slightly.

"I'm sorry I didn't think to include you Harry. I just assumed you had your own stuff to deal with." She said defensively.

"But this is MY stuff. This is my pack too."

"No. It's MY pack. I make the decisions. Yes, you are a part of it, but…"

"I don't see it that way." He growled.

"I'm the Alpha."

"The day you came and offered me a place here, the day I joined the pack made it mine too. I want to protect it just as much!" Their voices was raised, and they were glaring at each other across the desk.

"I'm not saying you can't help me protect it! You know more about his than anyone else, but it's my responsibility."

"We are together, we need to handle it together." She slammed her fist down, eyes flashing amber.

"Regardless of our relationship, I am the only alpha this pack has. Just because I love you doesn't change the fact that I am…" Her hand flew to her mouth and her eyes went wide. All of the anger that had been around the room instantly disappeared. Harry seemed to be in just as much shock as she did. Her face heated up, a dark blush covering her cheeks.

"I didn't… it just slipped out." She stuttered. She couldn't believe that she had said that.

"Did you mean it?" He asked, quietly stepping closer. Aisha took a step back.

"I…" She couldn't look at him. "I don't not… mean it." He took her into his arms, holding her to his chest softly.

"I'm sorry." He whispered into her hair. "I just don't want you to think you have to do this alone."

"I'm the Alpha Harry, I always have had to do this alone. That's what it's like in a pack."

"But's that's not true. A pack might have an alpha, but the alphas have betas and deltas. They are there to back you up, so that you don't have to do this alone."He stroked her back soothingly.

"I don't care if you have to be in charge; just let me be there. So when you're taking care of the pack, I can take care of you." She pulled away and gave him a look.

"I can take care of myself."

"I know." He kissed the tip of her nose. "You're ruining the moment."

Aisha took a deep breath, her stomach in knots, making her nauseous. Everyone on the pack was downstairs waiting. They didn't know what this announcement was going to be, but there were whispers and rumors going around since she had informed them about it. She wished it was what everyone wanted it to be about, she wished it was any kind of good news. Because good news wouldn't cause people to wonder if they should leave the Glade. And that was her biggest fear; that they wouldn't want to stay in the pack after learning that she had been hiding something so big from them. She tried preparing herself for the worst case scenario, but felt tears prickling behind her eyes. She didn't want to lose anyone.

But she could keep them waiting any longer. She walked down the stairs to the full community area, trying to keep her breathing normal. _Just don't hurl and everything will be okay_


	20. Chapter 20

Aisha looked out at all the faces, many of them smiling, waiting for her to speak. Harry caught her eye, standing way in the back and never taking his eyes off her. He nodded his head and gave her an encouraging smile.

"Thank you for coming early today. I know it's not often that I gather everyone for large announcements like this, but…" She took another deep breath.

"I know that many of you are expecting good news, but unfortunately, that's not why I called everyone together." The smiles in the audience faded away.

"Tomorrow morning there is going to be a press conference, and there will be some details brought up that will be alarming to you. I believed that it would be best if everyone heard if from me first. As the Alpha of the pack, it is my job to keep everyone here safe. But it's a more difficult job then I have let on. I've been keeping secrets from all of you about some of the dangers of being a werewolf.

"There are people in the world that wish to hurt us; to hunt us down and destroy our lives just because of our condition. The situation used to be manageable, but recently the activity from this group has increased and honestly, it scares me.

"I believe that a solution has been found, which is why there is going to be a press conference tomorrow. There will be no mention of the Glade brought up, and everyone here will remain safe; protected. I know that many of you have questions, and I'll answer them if I can."

There was a lot of noise, everyone suddenly wanting to talk to those around them, and to her.

"Why would you keep this from us?" Someone asked, angrily, "Don't we have the right to know."

"It was a decision that I made from the very beginning. It is my job to protect all of you and I believed it would be easier to do if you weren't looking over your shoulder all the time. I wanted you all to be able to live normal lives."

"Yeah, but we're not normal are we!"

"That doesn't mean that those people have the right to hunt us down like they do!"

"Who do they think they are?"

"Why are they getting away with this?" Aisha raised her hands to get order on the frightened crowd.

"These people have been doing this for many generations. As wrong as their belief is, they believe they can do this because we are not 'human' or as human as they are. They don't feel bad about what they do because they believe they are in the right."

"Is that what happened to Clara?" A soft voice asked. _Oh Goddess_

"Yes. Clara was a victim of these people. She was never a fan of coming to the compound for the phases, and it put her at greater risk of being found out. But that doesn't excuse the fact that I should have done more to keep her safe. Nor does it excuse the fact that I lied to all of you regarding the details of her death."

"How do you know about these people and we don't?" Aisha hadn't expected a question like this.

"I learned about them when I was very young. My mother was killed by them, and ever since then I knew I had to create a safe place for our kind. I couldn't do anything about stopping them, but I could find ways of staying protected." The crowd was silent as they absorbed everything they were told.

"I understand if any of you wish to part ways. But I simply ask that you stay here for this phase. It will give everyone time to think and discuss with their families if they want. And it will give me peace of mind knowing that at least for this last time, everyone is safe." She gave an awkward nod and left the room. She thought about going back upstairs, but decided against it. She needed to take a step back, to let everyone make decisions on their own. So she apparated herself straight to her cabin, throwing herself down onto the loveseat. She turned burying her face into the cushions. She remembered the looks that flashed across the faces of her pack, people who had trusted her. Harry, of course, knew exactly where she would go and had come to find her. She didn't lift her head as he sit in front of the loveseat.

"You did really well." He said, trying to cheer her up. She rolled her eyes, and turned her head to look at him.

"It was a disaster, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been. For now, I still need to see how many chose to to stay after this phase."

"No, you did the right thing and they will realize it. But they do need time."

"I just hope it's worth it, that this whole plan actually works." Harry moved her feet, setting down before placing them across his lap. She wiggled around getting comfortable.

"Then I guess it won't make you feel better if I told you that this was the easy part." She sighed, throwing an arm over her eyes. _Easy, sure tell that to my feelings. They feel like they've gone through a shredder_ Harry pulled her up until she was sitting in his lap.

"I just don't want to lose any of them."

"I hate to say it this way, but there isn't anything else you can do here. You've told them like you wanted to and given them time to think. So stop worrying about them and worry about what comes next. I'll need you there with me tomorrow." Aisha studied his face; the seriousness in his brow.

"Why?"

"I'll explain it all tomorrow." He said with a shake of his head. She tried to protest, but he pulled her into a kiss. His lips pressed against hers lightly, sweetly coaxing her to respond. But he pulled away as soon as she did. He picked her up, setting her down on her own feet before taking her hand and leading her to her room.

"Take a nap with me?" She laughed as she watched him pull off his shirt and climb into her bed.

"Harry, it's the middle of the afternoon." He patted the bed beside him.

"That's the best time for naps." She climbed in next to him, laying her head on his arm. He brushed her bangs from her face, and nuzzled her neck. Her neck tingled where his nose brushed her sensitive skin.

"Harry…" Her voice tense. He balanced himself on an elbow, leaning over her as he placed small kisses along her jaw. She placed a hand on his chest.

"I thought you said you wanted a nap." He gave a husky chuckle, and nibbled on her earlobe.

"We will... eventually." His implications had her sliding her hand up and around his neck.

"Did you lure me in here under false pretences?" Her voice slightly breathy as he ran his tongue down her throat.

"Absolutely." She turned, laying on her back, Harry hovering over her.

"I feel like I should be mad at you." She bit down on her lower lip as Harry's hands slipped under her shirt.

"I bet I can change your mind." Harry took off his glasses and sealed his lips over hers, a kiss that was sweet, but possesive all at the same time. _Oh Bloody Bones!_

Harry worked slowly, kissing every inch of skin he uncovered. It wasn't like all the other times; rushed and greedy. He took his time, seemingly worshiping every part of her body and she felt everything else just fade away. His tongue left wet trails as he dipped past her navel, pressing kisses along her hip bones. Her fingers curled into his soft hair and she whimpered out his name. He growled low in his chest as he parted her thighs. His tongue pressed into her and she arched off the bed with a cry, her head digging into the pillows. The heat, the pleasure, was so intense that her spine felt as if it had melted. Her fingers tightened in his hair, pulling it hard. Breath hissed through his teeth and a shudder ran down his spine. He removed her fingers from his hair, holding her hands down on either side of her head. Fingers trailed in featherlight touches down her arms, waist, then along her thighs. He whispered an incantation and kissed just below her belly button.

"Still mad?" He teased.

"Noooooooaaah..."Her reply ended in a moan as his erection slipped into her slowly. He captured her lips in a heated kiss, coaxing her tongue to tangle with his. Her arms wound around him, holding him close as he slid into her core again and again. All of her moans and sighs were captured by his kisses. She was so close, her breath short, and the corners of her eyes tearing up as she reached her peak. She shuddered around him, body growing tight as she came.

"Almost..." He gasped, continuing to thrust into her.

"Please…" She begged, a whisper in his ear before biting lightly on his lobe. His fingers bit into her thighs and gave a final thrust, coming deep inside of her. He rolled over, pulling her close to his chest, their sweaty skin pressed together.

"Nap now, everything will turn out for the better. I promise." Aisha gave a content sigh and fell asleep easier than she thought she would.


	21. Chapter 21

Aisha wanted to question why she was at the Ministry of Magic, a set of her formal robes in her arms. But every time she so much as had a puzzled expression on her face Harry would shake his head. His teasing smirk and refusal to tell her what was going on was starting to irritate her. Now she was waiting for Harry in his office, unsure of what to do.

"Aisha! Oh, I'm so glad you came!" Hermione came up and gave her an awkward hug.

"Hermione? Can you tell me why I'm here?" She asked. Hermione gave a smile, rubbing her stomach.

"Maybe I needed some company." Aisha knew that the bushy haired witch was included into Harry's plans and could tell her exactly why she was there, but her focus was glued to the size of the witch's stomach.

"Oh bones Hermione, you look about to pop. Are you sure you should be here?"

"Nonsense, I still have another month to go. I'll be perfectly fine." Harry followed by a tall redheaded fellow walked up behind Hermione.

"This is Ron, my best mate and Hermione's husband." Harry introduced the redhead. Aisha shook his hand and gave a polite nod of greeting. Harry grabbed the robes from Aisha's arms, handing them to Ron.

"What?" Aisha puzzled, arms now empty.

"Oh!" Harry reached and plucked a hair from her head. Her hand slapped down on the stinging area.

"Harry Potter! You better not be doing what I think you are." Hermione took the hair and placed it in a waiting thermos, also handing it to Ron. She kissed his cheek.

"Just remember to change clothes before you drink that." Hermione gave him a hard pinch where she had just kissed. Harry laid a hand on Ron's shoulder, giving him a look that clearly said that he agreed with Hermione's statement whole-heartedly.

Aisha tried to snatch the thermos from Ron' hand, but he ducked away.

"Best do what my wife says." He said with a mischievous grin. She turned toward Harry and Hermione, brows furrowed and her lips in a grim line.

"Don't be mad." Harry started, reaching out to pull her into a hug. She swatted his hand and pointed a finger.

"Too late, Potter. Explain, now!" Hermione laughed, but let Harry explain.

"We need you to be seen, to speak. But I didn't want it to be the real you, so Ron is going to be you. He has a script, so he knows what to say."

"Harry if you would have just explained it to me I would have willingly done this for you."

"We decided it would be best if you stayed behind the scenes with me." Hermione inputted.

"When pictures are released, we thought it would be best if you were in them. The Hunters know that you are really a werewolf, so even if we don't outright say it, they will know."

"Harry doesn't want the real you involved because what we are doing is setting a trap for those monsters, and he's afraid to get you too involved in it. Says it's an Auror problem now."

"So I'm the bait, but the real me doesn't get to be the bait?"

"You are not bait!" Harry grabbed her shoulders.

"Harry, don't lie to the woman, she is smarter than that." Hermione crossed her arms over her swollen stomach. Aisha raised an eyebrow at Harry.

"She's not meant as bait. She never was. I need someone to support my story, and Aisha was the perfect candidate."

"But it's not really me." Aisha sighed.

"No more arguing. You, dear will stay with me and keep me company while the two boys play with the press. I need to sit down anyway." Hermione looped an arm through Aisha's and steered her to sit beside each other in chairs. Aisha was going to protest, but bit her tongue instead. Ron came back into the room, an exact image of Aisha.

"Ready?" He asked Harry. Harry nodded and gave Aisha a quick kiss on the cheek before following Ron from the room.

"I don't feel so good about this." Aisha groaned, suddenly feeling much more nervous than she had when she arrived.

"They are more than capable of handling this." Hermione grabbed Aisha's hand and placed it on her belly. "The baby's kicking. So enjoy this and stop worrying."

A moon phase had never passed so quickly for Aisha before. She was extremely nervous to see what the papers said about Harry, and it seemed to make to time pass twice as fast. As soon as the owl dropped the post in front of her she snapped open the paper. The front page has a large picture of Harry standing in front of a crowd of people, with Ron standing a little behind him, polyjuiced to look like her. Her heart started beating faster, nervous about what the reporters had said.

" _Yesterday afternoon Harry Potter, Second Wizarding War Hero, had an announcement regarding his leave from his post as an Auror. According to Mr. Potter, his 4 month leave from work all happened after a horrible attack that left him in the hospital. How disappointing that we only hear about it now. Mr. Potter said the attack was from a suspect that he was heroically in pursuit of; who was in fact a werewolf. While Mr. Potter wasn't affected by the curse, he has taken these four months to recover and seek the help for a supposed support group for others who have been attacked by werewolves. Mr. Potter spun a wonderful story about the support that himself and several similar victims receive from this group. Mr. Potter has brought along the founder of the support group, Ms. Aisha Winter to comment about her organization. Ms. Winter made statements about the organization in question, quoted as saying '_ It is a wonderful home that I have created for people, who like Mr. Potter have experienced traumatic attacks at the hands of werewolves. At this home, I welcome all victims that have been attacked, especially the ones who have contracted the curse. I provide a safe place for victims to learn to live with their new conditions. My program house currently holds half a dozen victims with the curse and two, like Harry, who managed to avoid infection.' _The crowd was certainly full of questions regarding Ms. Winter's werewolf house, but Mr. Potter had even more disturbing news. '_ This house was vital for my recovery, however there was sadness within the house. One of the women that was there with me during my recovery was brutally murdered in her own home because of the fact that she was a werewolf. I have learned that there is a group out there that call themselves The Hunters. They violently persecute and hunt down human beings because they are werewolves.' _Mr. Potter wasn't finished there. He reminded us all of something very important and made a promise. '_ I remember the last time someone decided they were better than others based on their blood alone. Now that I am back I work, I will be starting a special division that will focus on stopping this group as soon as possible. Nobody deserves to be treated as less of a person because of their blood status, something I had hoped we all learned by now.' _Let us reassure you Mr. Potter that we do remember, and wish you the best of luck in your newest adventure in bettering and protecting the wizarding world and ALL it's people._

Aisha wasn't sure if she wanted to roll her eyes or give a sigh of relief. The details were convincing enough, if they had falsified enough record to support it. But Harry was still so loved that they just seemed to eat up whatever he told them. Which of course is why Hermione had concocted this whole plan.

Three members came up to her table. She looked up from the paper, knowing that they were there to inform her of the fate of her pack.

"Some might not like that you kept this from us, but it's not enough to make them leave. It will take a lot more than that to get rid of all of us." They all smiled at her. Aisha felt her heart swell, and her face split into a huge grin.

"But don't go and try nothing else either!" One of them teased.

"Wouldn't dream of it. Thank you; all of you." She got a nod in response and then they left.

Harry came up, placing a mug of tea and a plate of toast and sausage in front of her.

"Well?" He took the seat next to her.

"I still have a pack." She beamed. "But they are still upset that I kept it secret."

"Yeah, they get upset cause they didn't know, but they would have been upset if they did know. Its one of those situations where you just can't win." Remus and the rest of the Lupin crowded the table as well.

"Did you tell her Harry?" Tonks asked. Harry brightened up.

"Aisha, may I introduce to you, the newest member of my team. I asked her last night, seeing as she has had Auror training and a stake in this fight as well."

"Well it was you ask me or I tag along anyway." Tonks smirked. Aisha's breath caught in her throat. Emotion welled up behind her eyes; happy tears threatening to spill over. She had been so afraid that everyone would not only hate her, but risk their own safety to leave her. But everything had ended up a lot better than she had expected. Harry rubbed a hand down her arm.

"Are you okay?" He asked, concerned. She nodded, hiding behind her mug.

"You ready to go Harry?" Tonks asked.

"You're leaving?" Aisha's brow furrowed. Tonks pulled Harry up, ruffling his hair.

"Have to get to work. He made a big promise to the public and now we've got to fulfill it."

Harry gave her a crooked grin.

"Sorry, today's my first day back, I can't be late." He leaned down and gave her a kiss on her cheek.

"Be safe." It was the only thing she could think of to say before the he left.


	22. Chapter 22

Aisha's routine had gotten somewhat back to normal. Something that hadn't happened since Carla's death. But always in the back of her mind she remembered the possibilities of what could happen. Both Harry and her were receiving a lot of press about the whole thing, so he was sure that the Hunters would get wind of the whole fake story. Harry and Hermione had laid a pretty good false trail for anyone to follow, falsifying permits and land purchases in her name. For all extensive purposes, it looked like Aisha Winter lived on a large parcel of land in the countryside of Scotland in a large house with several other people. There were ward placed around the land, mostly for show, but also to keep out the nosy reporters. A Hunter would see the wards as no trouble whenever they chose to make their move. But to know when they were going to was another story. Aisha had already explained that if there was going to be an attack, it would be during the day of the actual full moon. Hunters knew that the day of the phase was always a weak point for the werewolves, and they would strike right before the moon got to it's highest point. Hunters were too cowardly to face an actual wolf.

Aisha looked down at all the work still spread over her desk and chewed her lower lip. She felt guilty that she had so much to do and yet she wanted to be out there where Harry was. She sighed and his her head face in her hands.

"You don't look like you're having fun." She looked through her fingers at Harry standing in front of her desk.

"Are you done for the day?"

"Day? You do realise that it's almost midnight?"Aisha looked out her window, not surprised to see it dark outside, but surprised by just how late it was.

"I didn't realise…" She started shuffling things around to get them into some sort of order.

"I'm not done." She fiddled with her quill. Harry moved the stuff aside and set down on her desk.

"You need to relax." He took her hands. "You're not going to get anything done if you are worried about everything at once."

"I can't help it Harry, I can't help but worry about what's going to happen. I try so hard to act normally; run the compound. But not knowing… it's driving me crazy."

"I know. It's not that great for me or the team either. Promise me that you will focus on things here."

"But…"

"Promise me, and I promise you that the moment anything happens I will come and get you. We will go together." Aisha smiled and Harry gave her hands a squeeze.

"You are so sweet. But you do realise that I would have come along, with or without your permission." Harry laughed.

"I wouldn't wanna be the one to try and stop you... So, your place or mine." He smirked.

Phase Day

Aisha and Harry set on one of the couches together watching as other members of the pack milled around the place. Harry had an arm around her and leaned closer to nuzzle her neck.

"Hey!" She pushed him back with a whisper.

"What?" He laughed.

"None of that. People are around."

"So we look like every other couple around here, nobody cares."

"I'm the Alpha, everybody cares." Harry rolled his eyes.

"I need to keep your mind elsewhere."

"And you thought a snog would do that?"

"Doesn't that usually work?" She smiled and gave him a small flick on the nose.

"I'm perfectly fine. No need to distract me."

"You haven't stopped tapping your foot since we set down." Aisha sighed, caught in the act.

"I'm sorry. I'm just…"

"Anxious. I know. But there is no guarantee that anything is going to happen tonight, and you can't be this anxious for the rest of your life. It's not very fair to yourself."

"But their pattern makes tonight a pretty good estimate for an attack."

"An attack, yes. But as bad as it sounds, the attack isn't necessarily going to happen at the bait house. We just have to be patient." Aisha groaned, head falling on the back of the couch.

"We only have a few hours until the phase…" Harry was cut off as he dug into his pocket; a glowing coin vibrated in his palm.

"Time to go." He pulled her to her feet and apparated them away.

Her breath caught as everything can to a standstill. Tonks came up beside them.

"Perimeter breach, west side of the property. It's them. Everyone is here and on standby. You ready?"

"As we'll ever be." Tonks nodded and walked away, wand at the ready.

"They are going to be here any minute." Harry help her shoulders, looking directly into her eyes.

"I'm not sure how many there will be. I can't stay with you but I need you to be careful." Aisha gave him a grim smile and pulled out her wand.

"I can take care of myself." Harry turned to walk away but came back, grabbing her for a deep kiss.

"I should have said this sooner, but I love you too." He ran to a hiding spot, not looking back. Aisha stood there like a fool, eyes wide at his confession. _Bloody bones! What a horrible time to say something like that_ She shot an angry scowl in Harry's direction and tried to calm down. He really needed better timing with these sort of things. Everyone watched as the stand-ins tried acting normal; sitting around reading or messing around in the nearby kitchen. Aisha noded at a few, walking around slowly. She kept her ears strained for any noise of intrusion, her wand hidden at her side. She took a deep breath to calm herself and prepared for the inevitable. A large bang rocked the front door of the house. As men rushed in from the front, the kitchen door was kicked in, men spilling inside.


	23. Chapter 23

Aisha felt frozen in place, there was too much noise and people running around everywhere. One of the men rush towards her and she finally started to move. She landed a fist to the man's throat, causing him to crumple to the floor. She ran into the next room, running right into another man, and crashing into a wall. Her head jerked up as she stared at the man looming above her.

"Aisha, you're the spitting image of your mum." Aisha's whole body exploded in anger and she tackled her godfather to the floor.

"I take more after my father." She snapped, digging her wand into the underside of his chin. Her eyes flashed to amber and she was seriously considering ripping out his throat if he continued to smile at her.

"Bastard!" She snarled, her knuckles turning white as she gripped her wand tightened. Someone grabbed her from behind, pulling her up by her armpits. She struggled to get out of the grip, growling and cursing.

"Aisha, it's okay. It's me." Harry pulled her away from her godfather as someone else came up and took his wand from him and got him off the floor.

"We got them all, it's over." Harry tried to calm her down. Her godfather laughed, even as he was being arrested.

"It will never be over." Harry tried to shield her from him, but she lunged forward.

"You are lucky they are taking you away from me. Because if I had the chance, I would turn you so fast. See how you feel, being the monster you despise so very much."

"Aisha, calm down." Harry pulled her into another room as members of his team were walking the trussed up other attackers out of the house.

"Are you going to be alright?" He asked, slipping her wand away from her.

"I never thought it would be him." Her breathing returning to normal. Harry pulled her into a tight hug.

"Everything was happening too quickly and then suddenly, he's there. I never thought I would ever have to see him again."

"You don't. Not unless you want to." He pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"You're eyes are still changed." Aisha gave her head a slow shake and sighed.

"It's all the emotions and," She looked out the nearby window, "The moons too high, I don't think I'll be able to change them back."

"Do you think we can make it in time?" Harry asked, worry lacing his question.

"If we leave now."

"Tonks!" Harry called. Tonks poked her head in the room.

"Got it, I can handle things here." She disappeared again. Aisha held on tightly to Harry and apparated into the fields on the compound. She gave him a wavering smile.

"Made it." Harry rubbed a hand on her cheek gently.

"We did. I'm just glad you didn't get hurt." He said softly. Aisha gave a happy hum.

"No more. We can talk all we want tomorrow. I just want to run tonight as a wolf."

Aisha kissed Harry lightly on the cheek. He still wouldn't wake up.

"Harry." The man refused to show any sign of waking. Aisha gave a mischievous grin and gave one of his nipples a sharp pinch.

"Oww! Hey..." Harry set up quickly, rubbing his chest through his shirt.

"Oh, you're awake. Good morning." Harry fell back, throwing an arm over his eyes. Aisha nudged him, and he peeked a green eye at her.

"Morning. You seem to be doing better." She gave him a smile.

"Yeah, I think I'm okay now. I was just caught by surprise last night. I let my emotions get the better of me." Harry set up, and entwined his fingers with hers.

"You had every right. But it's all over now. The team with track down the rest of the members and they will all be locked away for their crimes."

"Sweet talker." Aisha scoffed, pulling them both to their feet.

"I try." Harry laughed. They walked hand in hand to the community kitchen for breakfast.

"I wonder how many unsolved murders will be solved."

"Well," Harry thought "we are going to be pretty thorough with questioning. We will get confessions on everything, even participation in the murders. But there is no way of knowing until after interrogation." He handed her a mug of tea.

"Would it make me a horrible person to hope that they all live miserable lives."

"Yes." Harry laughed. "But I'll still love you."Aisha felt a flush rise in her cheeks.

"Which reminds me. You can't just spring something like that on a woman. You have horrible…"

Remus interrupted with a big grin.

"I thought you two had already left. What are you still doing here?" Both Harry and Aisha gave him a questioning look

"I'm not going into the office until later." Harry explained.

"No! Hermione had her baby this morning. I thought you got the message and left."

"But that's a week early." Harry panicked.

"Don't try to reason, the baby's already here." Remus laughed.

"Can we go see?" Aisha looked up at Harry.

"Hermione and Ron would be insulted if we don't." Harry shrugged.

"Let's get cleaned up and then we can head over there." Aisha did a quick cleaning spell with her wand.

"Lets Go!" Harry rolled his eyes and they were quickly off to the hospital.

They knocked quietly on Hermione's door. Ron answered, holding a finger to his lips.

"Baby just fell asleep." Harry clapped a hand on Ron's shoulder.

"You look horrible." He smirked. Ron gave a big smile and let them in. Hermione waved them over to the bed with one hand, the other cradling the blanket wrapped bundle of baby.

"This is Hugo." Hermione cooed. Aisha and Harry both peered into the blankets at the little pink baby boy.

"He's beautiful." Harry praised, giving Hermione an awkward hug.

"He looks like a potato with arms." Aisha whispered.

"Kinda. But you can't help but love him." Ron said, standing next to her.

"Congratulations." Aisha offered as Harry and Hermione continued to coo over the sleeping baby.

"Watch out, Harry's going to want his own potato soon." Ron teased. Aisha almost choked at the thought. Harry looked back to where the two stood, a big smile on his face and his eyes sparkling. Her chest grew tight as her heart gave a jolt. She gave a small smile.

"Maybe not too soon."


End file.
